With a window view of the Australian rainforest in Byron Bay and birdsongs filling the air, Celia Harris passes the days in her cabin home peacefully sculpting faery art dolls. Through her work, nature and dolls become intertwined in creative and mesmerizing ways.
Harris sculpts dolls primarily from polymer clay, but when it comes to dressing and embellishing the tiny characters, she often integrates other materials. She said, “I start with a rough idea in my head and then start to gather more ideas as the piece progresses. I’ll lay out a color palette also and see what colors give me joy when combined.” No doubt a result of her artistic process, she said her workspace “starts off rather orderly, then turns into complete chaos! As much as I’d love it to always look tidy, it soon turns into a cacophony of fabrics, rhinestones, and all kinds of bits and pieces.”
Her dolls range in size from 2 inches to 12 inches, with the larger dolls being much less common. At a given time, Harris said she usually works on no more than three dolls. However, when it comes to her large dolls, they become her sole focus.
The most stressful part of the process is sculpting the body, according to Harris. She added, “Dressing and decorating is more time-consuming, but I can slip into more of a flow there, whereas the technical side requires intense concentration and sometimes scrapping a piece to start over, which is always frustrating. Sometimes you need to take a break and go talk to the birds before starting again.”
Although Harris is primarily self-taught, she is the child of ceramic artists and has been selling her art since she was a teenager. She said that in addition to nature, vintage fashion, and feminine aesthetics, her parents have been a source of inspiration. “My parents’ ceramic work was fantasy themed, though quite different from the work I do now,” she said. “They made large-scale castles and mushrooms that could be illuminated; my dad was especially good at sculpting dragons and wizards. They sold their work at markets and supplied shops Australia-wide. These were the days before mass-produced giftware; everything they made was by hand.”
Being an artist and small-business owner today comes with a unique set of challenges, and the consequences of others’ actions tend to be more impactful than they would be for a larger business. When asked about the challenges she’s faced, Harris said, “The most damaging has been having some of my work reproduced without my consent and mass-produced. One company even stole my photos to advertise the stolen product and were offering a very subpar replica. It hurt my livelihood significantly. Unfortunately, if the company is overseas, there’s not a lot that can be done. On top of this, there are some dollmakers who will copy your work without conscience, which is really disheartening given the challenges we already face as doll artists in the modern world. The only thing you can do is keep creating from your heart, changing and evolving into something new.”
Following her own advice, Harris is not afraid to try new styles and techniques. She said, “My dolls have become a little stranger — in a good way, I hope! Lately, I’m deriving so much joy from more intricate dressing and decorating and feel like I’ve finally found my own unique style. It’s a lot more time-consuming but I enjoy it so much!”
To help fellow and aspiring dollmakers understand her current approach to sculpting, Harris is actively putting together a series of tutorials and e-books. Once released, users will have access to her experience-based tips and tricks, which they can use along with their own techniques. Sharing knowledge like this is an important part of helping the doll and art communities thrive.
As someone who truly puts her heart into her dollmaking, Harris said, “I love receiving updates and am often in contact with collectors who send me photos of the little tribe they’ve adopted in their new home. It brings me a lot of joy to see! I often struggle to part with them but am happy they are bringing magic to someone’s life.” She added, “I’m proud of the beautiful connections I’ve made and people I’ve connected with all around the world from doing this as a profession. I hope to keep growing and evolving as an artist and finding more unique ways to explore my creativity.”
