By Tina Fisher Cunningham
The Forde Files No 108
Tehachapi's dollmakers create with love - Lauren Jaimes
The Forde Files No 108
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Tina Fisher Cunningham
Happy little Ursula, a Diamond doll show winner, sticks her tongue out as she plays with her teddy bear. Jaimes was offered $1,000 for Ursula, but she won't part with her (Medium price point is $500)
A two-year resident of Tehachapi, Lauren Jaimes has been making clay dolls for four years. She transforms the clay, which she bakes in a dedicated toaster oven, into individual humans with their own personalities and characteristics. Her dolls feature expressive eyes and they exude sweet innocence. She places them in theme vignettes. She found that creating dolls makes her happy. "The art comes from the fun and joy of it," Jaimes said.
Tina Fisher Cunningham
Jaimes begins with an inspiration from a photo and re-creates the image with uncanny fidelity using professional sculptor's clay and a box of instruments. She makes tiny, lifelike hands and feet, details familiar from her years as a neo-natal intensive care nurse
