AnnHord-Heatherley_001
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Seated cloth female figure

Facial substrate sculpted from air dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to finish the face. Hand dyed raw silk overalls. Hair of dyed mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_002
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Seated cloth female figure

Facial substrate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Hair of dyed and combed mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_003
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Standing cloth child figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Vintage lace scarf. Hair of dyed and combed mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_004
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Seated cloth female figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay. Watercolor pencils to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Hair of dyed and combed mohair locks. Bench made by Patricia Hord-Heatherley.

AnnHord-Heatherley_005
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Standing cloth child figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Painted gauze scarf. Hair of dyed mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_006
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Standing cloth child figure, undressed

Figure shown before clothing and hair were applied.

AnnHord-Heatherley_008
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Seated cloth figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Vintage lace scarf. Hair dyed and combed mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_009
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Wall-hung cloth female figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Vintage lace scarf and apron. Hair of natural mohair locks.

AnnHord-Heatherley_010
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Standing cloth child figure

Facial substate sculpted from air-dry clay, then covered in cloth. Watercolor pencils were used to define the face. Clothing dyed with botanical extracts. Hair natural mohair locks.

Artist Statement
Over the years I have explored most of the textile and fiber arts. About twenty years ago someone gave me Susanna Oroyan’s book, The Art of the Doll. I was completely enchanted and set out to learn all I could about the doll as a fine art form. I managed to find a local art doll guild and took as many classes as I could from a variety of gifted teachers. Over time, I developed my own style, incorporating methods from many sources as well as creating some of my own.

My figures are mostly cloth. I sculpt a substrate for the face from air-dry clay, then cover it in cloth. I machine sew each body part, then hand sew them together. I dye my fabrics using mostly natural dyes, some of which I grow and process myself. The costuming of my figures is not intended to be historically accurate, but rather to capture a sense of time and place. I find the softness and patina of vintage textiles add a sense of history to the piece. I keep a herd of Angora goats and use their choicest locks for hair.

My goal for my work is to capture emotion in cloth. That emotion is usually born of my own experiences. Music, books, and vintage photographs help me travel back in time to more fully connect to those feelings. While my figures are born of my own story, I hope that the viewer will find in each piece a bit of their own.