About Gretchen Lima
Technique
I have combined natural fibers in the hair as well as the hand Knit or hand dyed clothing. I individually sculpt and paint each face using Sculpey inlaid with beads, pearls or pieces of turquoise.
Each design is conceived and executed by me. I first make a sketch from an idea, then a rough prototype. A final pattern for a piece is then cut from muslin. Each individual doll is different depending on the fabrics used to decorate it.
People at art fairs ask me how I got started in dollmaking. I believe it’s a 70–year old story, interwoven with a need and a passion to create, using detail, color and a sense of spirit.
My work is not only an expression of what I see, but of what I feel. I create the messages and give a voice to a girl inside who has patiently waited to be heard.
Education
- B.A., Art, Northland College, Ashland, WI 1971
- Teaching Degree, K-12, Northland College, Ashland, WI 1976
Professional Experience
- Homecraft Teacher, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1976-1985
- Founder and Sole Proprietor, Designs by Gretchen, 1985-present
Awards
-
Invitational Award -- Art Fair On the Square, Madison, WI - '88,'89,'90,'92 - Award of Excellence -- Festival of the Arts, Stevens Point, WI
- Fiber Award -- Morning Glory Art Festival, Milwaukee, WI
- Award for Excellence & Celebrity Award -- Columbus Winterfair, OH - 1992
- Award of Merit -- Art Street, Green Bay, WI - 1993
- Celebrity Award -- Columbus Winterfair, OH - 1993 & 1994
- Award Winner -- Village Fair, Milwaukee Public Museum - 1995
- Award Winner -- J M Kohler Art Fair, Sheboygan, WI - 1997
- Featured Artist -- Ann Arbor Winter Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI - 1998
- Award Winner -- 57th Street Art Fair, Chicago, IL - 1999
- Northern Lights Arts Award -- Northland College Alumni Assoc. - 1999
- Featured Artist -- Studio Art Crawl, Milwaukee, WI - 2001
- Award of Excellence -- Morning Glory Art Festival, Milwaukee - 2001
- Second Place Award Winner -- Powderhorn Art Fair, Minneapolis - 2002
- Purchase Award -- Minnesota Crafts Festival, Minneapolis - 2004
- First Award Winner -- Oakbrook Craft Fair, Oakbrook, IL - 2004
- Best of Mixed Media -- Common Wheel Arts & Crafts Fair - 2007
- Best of Mixed Media 3-D -- Tempe Festival of the Arts - 2008
- Best of Mixed Media -- Common Wheel Arts & Crafts Fair - 2008
- Honorable Mention -- Common Wheel Arts & Crafts Fair - 2013
Magazines
- Contemporary Doll Magazine - Winter 1990
- The Flying Needle - November 1993
- Contemporary Doll Magazine - November 1993
- The Sheboygan Press - Artist reveals her inner self, March 26, 1995
- Contemporary Doll Magazine - June/July 1995
- Doll Reader Magazine - August 1995
- Family Circle Magazine - Holiday Crafts, Fall 1995
- The Crafts Report - November 1995
- Contemporary Doll Collector - June/July 1998
- The Desert Leaf - Tucson, AZ, June 2006
- Dolls United - Interactive Magazine - issue 18 - 2007
Books
- "The Doll by Contemporary Artists", Krystyna Poray Goddu & Wendy Lavitt, Abbeville Press ©1995
- "Anatomy of a Doll", Susanna Oroyan, C&T Publishing ©1997
- "Batik for Artists and Quilters", Eloise Piper, F&W Publications ©2001
- "Finishing the Figure," Susanna Oroyan, C&T Publishing ©2001
- "Greta and the Magic Wand", written and illustrated by Gretchen Lima ©2004