A Discourse With Deborah

          Hey Freaksters!

          I recently had the good fortune to sit and have a chat with one of my favorite artists, Deborah of Debz Demented Dolls. Her work often inspires me in my own. I wanted to share with all of you our conversation, and some of her amazing creations.

          “Hey Deborah! Thank you for talking with me!”

          “Hey Sophie!” Deborah replied, then I waited for a couple of minutes before she continued. “Okay… I’m back. Sorry. Was hot gluing a rhinestone necklace to my ballerina doll. She’s quite different from any of my other dolls. I love when that happens. Whee!

          “Also needed to hot glue a little hat on my baby clown. Literally had to strike while the ‘iron was hot’…or glue gun.”

          “Take your time,” I told her. “I know an artist has to do her thing when the muse strikes.”

          “I’m done for now,” she told me. “I just had the glue gun heated up and wanted to get ‘em both done.”

          “So, Deborah…” I began. “Please, tell me, and my Freaksters how you got started with your Demented Darlingz. I mean, why dolls with such different personalities instead of just refurbishing dolls to their former glory?”

Billy was found at a Goodwill. Deborah hand painted him and got him a new outfit from the baby section of a store. He has his very own rubber skull mask that he likes to wear even when it isn't Halloween.

          “Well, I love finding old, used, unloved dolls and ‘listening’ to what they want,” Deborah told me. “Most of them have been tossed away; thrown in the back of a closet, in an attic or basement; sometimes for many years to gather dust, dirt, and even mold.

The Headless Housewife -- One of Deborah's favorites. "At first, I couldn't figure out what to do with her. She was so ordinary. Then the idea came to me to cut her head off. She comes with a basket to carry her head around.

          “I find dolls that ‘speak to me’ and then I work my ‘magic’ on them, giving them their true inner beauty. It’s a beauty that says, ‘I don’t need to be Little Miss Perfect. I’ve been forgotten and torn and broken… Once I was loved, but now I’m nothing.’ I want them to be their true selves, and remind us that all real beauty can be hidden, but never forgotten.

          “Oh! My first two dolls came from my neighbor’s roof,” she laughed. “That got me started, about three years ago now… And I’ve never looked back. My dolls are my ‘canvas.’”

          “They are great canvases!” I replied. “You know how much I love them! So, when you come across a doll that needs your ‘special touch,’ does it always speak to you right away about what it is, and what it wants to become? Or does it sometimes take a little time?”

A Victorian/Gothic lady - Deborah very carefully cracked the doll's face, 'just to give her a different look," then completely hand painted her, and detailed her face.

          “Yes, I do know!” Deborah answered. “I’m glad you asked that. Some speak to me immediately, but most of them wait a while. Some wait for days, weeks, or even months, before I ‘hear’ them calling to me from inside their plastic bins.

          “Truly, sometimes I’ll be doing something mundane and then, all of a sudden, I’ll think about a doll I got months ago… And I know just what to do with her. Most of them are hers, but I do have a few hims,” Deborah laughed.

          “I know it’s the dolls that mostly inspire you, but do you ever draw inspiration from other sources? Music? Reading? Conversations?” I asked her. “And do you listen to specific types of music when you are working your creative genius?”

          “Music, yes. I listen to music when I create.” Deborah confided. “My favorites are Mike Oldfield and Blackmore’s Night for the real ‘in the zone’ type work. Any kind of music can inspire me, but it must have depth and true feeling to get my creative juices flowing… I know when my muse is here when everything else in the world simply falls away…”

          “Ah… Spoken like a true artist,” I said. “All right. I know you love your work, and all of your creations are special to you. But in the time you have been bringing your visions to life, has there ever been one single doll that was your very favorite?”

          “There has never been one single doll that was my absolute favorite, but there are some that I’ve created who have really touched my soul.

          “And I’ve got one that I’ll never sell,” Deborah told me. “She’s got some of my mother’s jewelry, and she is just gorgeous.”

The doll Deborah will never sell.

          

          “She sounds like a very special doll.”

          “She is!” Deborah said enthusiastically. “She’s about 24” tall, all hand painted, in a dress dyed by hand… As are most of my dolls.”

          “I want to thank you again for talking with me, Deborah. One last question, please?

          “Sure! Shoot!”

          “What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? Any special dolls, or projects planned? Okay. Sorry. I lied. That was two questions,” I laughed.

          “I’ve always got lots of dolls in the works…” Deborah replied. “For projects… I have some, but I’m not sure if it’s okay to tell.”

          “Maybe just a general idea?” I urged her.

          “I may be creating several dolls for a future film… This will be my biggest endeavor yet.”

          “Wow!” I said. “That’s exciting! I can’t wait to hear more about that, when you can give details!”

          “I’ll definitely tell you more when I can,” she promised. “This is the most excited I’ve been about my dolls and having them really get ‘out there.’”

          “Congratulations! You and your dolls are wonderful. I’m sure they will find homes all around the world soon.”

          “Well, many of them have. And thank you! I appreciate your time here, Sophie.”

          “I appreciate your time, Deborah. Thank you for giving us all a little insight into your creative world and life.”

          I really enjoyed talking with Deborah about her dolls and creative processes. For more information about Deborah and her art, please follow the links below.

      

Delightfully Dark Art                                Deborah's shop on Etsy

Debz Demented Dollz                          Follow Deborah on Twitter

Debz Delightfully Demented Dollz      Check out Deborah's Facebook

Delightfully Demented Dollz             Deborah's Blog