Black History Character Art Doll Henry KC BBQ King Tutu Leo Moss-Mischievous
In the late 1800's Leo Moss survived tragedy and began. Now, nearly 150 years later our paths crossed and he has made a huge impact in my life. What you do now matters, it matters today, it will matter tomorrow. I put heart, soul and the spirit of Leo in every doll.
Aloha, I created Henry during black history month in honor of the famous Bar-b-que King Henry Perry of Kansas City, Mo. A young mischievous Henry, loves his barbecue and a one-of-a-kind Leo Moss inspired character doll that I made with a proprietary paper mache material created in my kitchen and an antique composition and cloth doll that I rescued. Henry has large expressive antique brown glass eyes, raised brows, deep complexion as the original Moss dolls, smiling open mouth with tongue out, wavy curly sculpted hair, approx. Dressed in vintage overalls and unders. No toys or display items.
He is a work of art and a good looking young man. How my journey with Leo began.. Since the onset of the pandemic, I began my journey with papier mache and the art of Leo Moss. I fell in love with his poignant story and his dolls.
They are truly works of art and it is a great honor in owning several of them. I call this a gift of first-hand knowledge and as close as it gets to Leo Moss and his techniques.
Holding his dolls I get to experience how his dolls really look and feel, his sculpting and coloring techniques and their wonderful expressions. When our country "locked-down" I had to find a creative outlet to keep myself occupied so I channeled the sadness and difficulties of an ongoing pandemic into creating dolls. I call my dolls poignant paper, because they are. Toilet paper was the hottest commodity when the C-19 Pandemic hit, I used mine to make dolls. Studying and learning from my Moss dolls, I use similar materials and techniques.I have been an artist all of my life, earning a cosmetology license in my 20's and with this experience I learned hair textures, styles and coloring, which has helped me greatly in creating my dolls. The story of my pandemic art dolls is published in periodicals, displayed in museums and u-tube. My journey with Leo "The Healing Power of Dolls and Tears" is shared.
It's important to connect with the artist to understand their raw emotions as they create their work. That's what makes it compelling. Tears are a powerful healer, releasing stress, sadness, anxiety and joy. Our salty tears are cleansing like the ocean, lubricating our eyes, reducing stress hormones, and removing irritants. Pent up emotions can cause illness, fatigue and pain.
Crying can simulate the production of endorphins, our bodies natural painkiller. Tears heal the heart and help us process loss, so go ahead, hug your doll and release those tears.