Featured artist: Mountain Dolls

Today I'm pleased to introduce to your Janice Parrott of Mountain Dolls. Read more of her fabulous work here:

My name is Janice Parrott.  I live in a small area outside of Albany, NY in the Helderberg Mountains.  That give me my creativity - just looking out my window at the beautiful countryside, walking my dog, the change of the seasons.  My children are a constant source of energy and inspiration.

The Circle Game, OOK Mountain Dolls Ornament

My daughter is an incredible fiber artist with a store on Etsy (The Handmade Classroom) and my son is a musician studying at the SUNY college at Oneonta.  I have to keep up with their lives, so that helps keep me current.  I have been making dolls for over 20 years, and I strive to stretch myself with my dollmaking. I always tell myself that with every doll I make I learn some small thing that I have never done before - good or bad, you learn from your creativity and then your creations.

Santa and the Mrs.

I have been working under the name of Mountain Dolls 'n Things for many years.  Several of those years were spent working only on dolls and perfecting my craft.

Sunshine Goddess, Mountain Dolls

Recent times however have compelled me to get an "actual" job so I work for a goldsmith four days a week, which takes up most of my time, sadly not much is left for dollmaking, but I try to work on something on my day off.  I have a new "special" project that I have been working on for many years and hope to show that to the world very soon.  I will only say it involves dolls and certainly the mountain I live on.

Lady Gourdington Pennworthy, Gourd Doll

The product I am most proud of is now in a private collection.  This piece took many months to complete and covered almost every aspect of dollmaking, from my point of view.

Old Friends

Other than working - (haha) the things I like best are hiking and camping.  for me a day walking in the woods is the best day ever! Spending time with family is paramount for me and my family. Many of my children's friends hang out at our house and that is always a treat when everyone is home! Noisy and expensive, but fun!

Artemis, Goddess of the Wilderness

I have a website where you can buy dolls and also view photos of my past commissions and dolls that have just sold outright in my Galleries section. Here is additional information on where you can find me:

Website: http://www.mountaindollsnthings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mountain-Dolls-n-Things/373706695980239
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mountaindolls