About

OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA and into the hands of collectors throughout the world.
By Viola Williams

Cheryl Clingen has four dollhouses. Two were gifts to her daughter, and when her daughter's life changed… the little homes came wandering back to Cheryl. The first house was a 1:24 scale metal building with plastic furniture. The second was a wooden house with four rooms, this time in 1:12 scale. The third was another Metoy metal house that was a gift from a friend… and the fourth was a huge Victorian house, beautifully finished with wooden panels. This too was a gift from a friend who sold her doll-supplies store and needed to find a home for the lovely structure.

These little homes were not quietly and unceremoniously stored in some quiet corner of Cheryl's garage; they were refurbished and displayed with love. When Cheryl peeked into the wee rooms, she was saddened by the lack of residents. Fortunately, she was prepared to remedy that.

Several years earlier she made larger porcelain dolls, but in time, her many dolls began to overtake every available spot in the house. "Besides that," she continues, "I began to suspect that my husband felt they were completely dominating our home when he offered to build a shed in our garden, with the suggestion that we move into it, and leave the house to the dolls."

She continued making dolls, however and as time passed, she began to notice that her dolls were becoming smaller and smaller with the smallest one being a 10" fairy. That little doll was entered into competition and won not only a blue ribbon, but also a rosette for highest score. "The awards completely masked the small doll, so I removed them from her person and laid them on the table in front of her," she says. Cheryl was told that hers was the first small doll that had ever won a rosette in that particular international competition. "I was so overwhelmed," she says, "I could hardly believe I'd won." That was only the first of several other awards she earned through the years that followed.

Her doll creations were about to get even smaller. She decided to take advantage of her earlier doll-making experience and make some tiny people to move into her little homes. Those first dolls were made from porcelain using commercial molds. She continues to provide porcelain people, but there may be some changes coming up soon. She recently took a class from Marcia Backstrom, "so I'm dabbling in polymer clay now," and Cheryl adds "Marcia inspired me so much, I hope I can make her proud when I have completed the sculpture of my first doll."

'When I look back at the earliest miniature doll I ever made without benefit of any training whatsoever, I have to cringe," she shudders. But the doll was taken to a fair, and sold quickly. "At the time," Cheryl admits, "I thought the doll was beautiful. And since she sold, obviously the buyer thought so too."

However at some shows Cheryl has had to face criticism. "My feelings are badly hurt when people (within ear-shot) are critical of my prices (even though they are quite low). Do they think I cannot hear them?" She wishes those people could sit with her when she is making a doll so they could see how much work is involved from the first step of casting the porcelain, all the way to the finishing touches of wigs and shoes.

Additionally, Cheryl has extraordinary expenses because, living in South Africa, forces her to import nearly every item that is necessary for the assembly and creation of her dolls. Much of what she needs must come from USA and the South African currency is very weak against the US dollar. At the time of this writing, Cheryl must pay at the rate of 7:1. In spite of that, she has been able to keep her prices very low compared to that of other dolls that are being offered.

She does, however, have the advantage of being able to work in a lovely studio, which she claims is quite well organized. "But," she adds, "to the untrained eye, it might be described as a total mess – but I know where everything is – at least until I decide to tidy up. That's when I just can't seem to find anything."

Her work has been well received by collectors, but Cheryl's most dedicated fan is her
daughter, Tracey, herself a very talented young lady who has enjoyed a variety of crafts and hobbies. Mother and daughter share ideas as well as sharing a peek at any new project they have completed. "She is always delighted when I send her something I have made, or pictures of my latest creation." explains Cheryl.

It was, in fact, her daughter who inspired her to begin doll-making. Tracey at that time was only fourteen years old but convinced her mother to take a doll-making class with her. "Well," responded Cheryl, "ok… only one doll." But by the time that one doll was completed, Cheryl was hooked, and many other dolls followed.

As time passed, changes began to appear in the style of her work. Her dolls began to get smaller and smaller, and they eventually qualified as doll house miniatures. "My first presentable miniature doll won a special award here in South Africa," she explains. Cheryl has since won other awards as well, often from countries outside her home in South Africa. One such award was the International Master Dollmaker (Doll Artist Guild) in New York. Several other blue ribbons, rosettes and a trophy were earned, and her love of doll-making continued to grow. Soon her little homes were over-crowded with residents and guests. It was time to offer some for sale.

She began to sell her work at fairs, and on eBay under the name of shampoov2
The success that followed her decision to sell her dolls encouraged her to continue in that direction

"My babies sell very well," she says, "And I enjoy offering cots, strollers and baskets for sale as well." She admits that she has fun creating adult dolls as well as infants, and is currently involved in filling a regular customer's order for a wizard/painter. "I love that kind of challenge," she adds.

She has also made an admiral and after it sold, another customer ordered one just like it. "But, it's just not as much fun to do the same doll twice," she claims, "and I rarely agree to making two dolls the same."

As her work becomes known, more and more special requests come her way, including a desire for 1:24 scale dolls.  Cheryl is just about ready to begin making her dolls even smaller than her current 1;12 scale.  Everyone expects this new venture to be as appealing as her current larger size.

Her prices are as appealing as her little people; they range from $30 to $150.

When asked if she can provide some hints or tips for novice doll-makers she explains that "In a class, hints pop into my head as we are working… I then tell the class about them. My most important advice is that if the passion has grabbed you, do not be disheartened when comparing your work with that of a more experienced doll-maker." Cheryl believes that everyone should be proud of their efforts, and reminds novices that we are each our own harshest critic. "Very often the faults we see in our own work, are just the result of our expecting perfection, and those small faults may not detract from the general beauty of the work at all," she explains

Cheryl has some favorite tools to help in the production of her Lilliputians "I cannot live without my box of toothpicks," she admits, and a piece of raw spaghetti is a must-have tool as well. "Nothing is more useful than that piece of pasta when I need to place tiny beads onto an outfit. I simply place a dot of glue on the material, and dampen the tip of the spaghetti and use that end to pick up a bead. When the bead touches the glue, the spaghetti instantly releases it. The result is a perfectly placed tiny bead."

She loves to teach workshops and especially enjoys passing on her knowledge, and likes to include humor and inspiration with each of her classes. She is pleased when, during a class, her students wander away from specific instructions in order to respond to their own imaginations. "I believe that makes the class more enjoyable… and it always seems to result in a really lovely doll."

Four dolls' houses, thanks to Cheryl's talent, have come to life with the inclusion of her wonderful little people. It hasn't stopped there. As Cheryl continues to make dolls and teach workshops, her customers' tiny homes can also brighten up by incorporating the talent of this fine artist from South Africa.

You can write to this artist at: Cheryl Clingen P.O.Box 6316, Westgate 1734, South Africa , or visit her website at www.MiniDollsFromAfrica.com. She can be reached through her email: Chez@worldonline.co.za