Michelle Rae Schafer's folk art dolls at the Studio at Crowhaven Farm

Michelle Rae Schafer is another oddball artist from Etsy. I find so many of these lovely, weird and wonderful people there. No one should be offended by my description, because it's simply an indication of their child-like glee, the cheeky eccentricity that they bring to the world.

These quirky dolls (which are not toys, of course) are part of Michelle's 'Gossip Girls' series. They are hand-sculpted out of polymer clay, with movable arms and legs. They're hand-decorated, then receive numerous layers of acrylic paint, which, in turn, is crackled and antiqued, finally sealed with double coats of glaze for added protection. The skirts are hand sewn and dyed in coffee for that authentic vintage folk art doll look. Each is approximately 7 inches high.








Whimsy Friday just wouldn't be the same without people like Michelle. Go check her out at The Studio at Crowhaven Farm at Etsy. Don't forget to find the link to her blog there, too. It's brimming with all kinds of interesting bits and bobs. (But be prepared to stay for a while. There's a huge amount to look at.)

Have a great weekend. If you can - if you're so privileged - give your Dad a hug.

Glorious Spring and Folk Art From The Heart at Etsy

The sculptor at Etsy who operates Folk Art From The Heart is another whacky, lampooning type, and as it's Friday - Whimsy Day - I had to feature these wonderful polymer clay pieces. Despite my serious writings (especially on my writing blog), I am more than a little offbeat and non-conformist. I mostly avoid the conventional, be it beliefs, ideas, or art, and someone like this reinforces my philosophy that we must learn to not take ourselves too seriously, that to laugh at our foibles is a good thing. I try to reflect that in my own paintings and today's artist certainly feels the same way. You can see the absolute glee in the work and the smile that must be there all the way through the process. Look at these faces!

Spring arrived today with bright, glorious sunshine. We, in the North, have been through yet another long winter, and now emerge totally rejuvenated. That silly bunny below reflects just how nutty I'm feeling this morning.









These sculptures are fairly large - 8 to 10 inches high - and would make a wonderful conversation piece on your coffee table, or even your dining table!

Go check out this crazy artist's store at Folk Art From The Heart at Etsy. While you're there, check out her profile for an interesting description of her work, and link to her website and blog. Just click - and you're not in Kansas anymore.

Crazy - FunkyFolky

Jack Nicholson's character in 'As Good As It Gets' says something like, "I don't do crazy here. Go sell crazy someplace else..." or words to that effect. Sad, but explained why he was so miserable, not embracing the fun of it. Now Seal, one of my all time favorites, really gets it. Remember "And we're never gonna survive, unless we get a little crazy". He knew what he was talking about. We need it, to let go, be stupid, act like a kid, forget where we are, and do some crazy.

My featured artists - mother and daughter - get it, too. (They must be a fun pair at parties.) The following is their own description:

FunkyFolky is an offshoot of The Ragtree Company, founded by a mother and daughter team of super creative (sometimes super crazy!) entrepreneurs with a passion for clay. Each item is created by either Ragtree artist Darlene, who leans toward folky, or Renee, who leans toward funky; hence, FunkyFolky!

Their sculptured figures are about as weird and wonderful as you can get. Just uploading them had me laughing. I didn't put them all on here, because these artists are so prolific, and I would have run out of space. As an aside, some of Renee's work is eccentric, to say the least, if not downright bizarre.







Well, I love it, and I've probably chosen more Funky than Folky, so my apologies to Darlene if I have. We all need some of this in our lives, I think. Have a good giggle and then go check out their Etsy store. The link's in Great Sites to Visit in the sidebar. You want that perfect conversation piece for your coffee table? You couldn't do much better than this.