Karen Larsen

Karen Larsen Shoreview

Artist Statement

Karen’s passion for art dolls began 10 years ago when she took a class on making a cloth art doll. The one day class opened a new door for her artistry and with her love for sewing and embellishing and she now has a medium that combines all her talents into single art form.

The love of color, texture and unusual materials inspires her each time she begins to make a new doll. Even though Karen loves to sew and quilt, she has found that the world of doll making allows her to enjoy the fine detail work of embellishing with beads, fibers, trim and the joy of experimenting with new ideas and materials to create original works of art in each doll. As a self-taught multi-media fiber artist she has used candle holders, drapery tassels, silk and dried flowers, buttons, wood, polymer clay, gourds, metals and driftwood to create the structures of the dolls and she continues to search out that new found object for her next creation.

BIO
Early in her sewing career, 4-H to be exact in the 1950s, Karen loves to make things. First, it was clothing, then items for the home and family, and finally discovering the world of traditional quilting. The fun and creativity of making large quilts soon evolved into a new area of contemporary quilting and fiber arts.

Karen’s passion for art dolls began 10 years ago when she took a class on making a cloth art doll. The one day class opened a new door for her artistry and with her love for sewing and embellishing she now has a medium that combines all her talents into single art form. She uses a variety of materials in her doll creations including polymer clay, cloth, gourds, fibers, metals and Lake Superior driftwood. Her work has been shown at the 2008 Doll Show, Roseville, MN; a one-person show at the Minnesota Textile Center Library- July 2009; and the Minnesota Textile Center Common Thread Art Exhibit in the Joan Mondale Gallery – January 2010.

Over the years, Karen has taught beginning sewing classes, workshops and demonstrations in traditional quilting, paper piecing and most recently classes on embellishing quilts and making art dolls. Karen also shares her dolls and art work and her creative ideas during trunk shows at quilt guild meeting programs in the Twin Cities area.
Karen is currently the chairperson and a founding member of the new art doll club -- The Doll Dreamers of St Paul.

Muse
Cloth, ribbon & beads and yarn
2008
10" tall x 13" wide
NFS

Muse is an original design cloth doll made from multi-colored batik fabric. The two toned face and body give her two personalities. A fancy yarn crocheted cap for hair and the beading and ribbon work for clothing complete here eclectic look. Her arms and legs are jointed using small beads allowing the doll to be positioned in various ways to reflect her mood. Muse’ fingers contain small wires which enable the fingers and hands to clasp together.

Orabella the Fortune Teller
Cloth, yarn, dried gourd, beads and rhinestones
2008
14" tall x 8 " wide
NFS

Orabella claims to have the powers to tell your fortune or your misfortune with her stone mystery ball. The dried garden gourd forms the skirt is made by wood burning a pattern on the gourd and then colored with oil paints. She wears her fine family gem stones to add to her powers

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Washakie
Driftwood, dried flowers, seed pods, pinecone petals and yarn
2008
13" tall x 9" wide
NFS

A native of the deep woods, Washakie is an original doll, made to look like she appeared from the earth. The design challenge was to use natural materials some of which came from nature to construct the doll. Washakie’s body is made from a piece of Lake Superior driftwood with a pine cone petal bodice. She holds a basket of dried flowers and seed pods, her hair is made from wool yarn to look like moss, her face is made from cotton fabric, her arms are made from torn brown paper bag strips and the necklace is made from corn kernels.

A Native American name from the Shoshoni tribe meaning sweet smelling-- reflects the materials that she is made from including the sweet smell of pine trees and the dried flowers.