Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes  Dolls  

Exploring Fantasy with Dolls

by Pam North

Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes has been making one-of-a kind, sculpted polymer clay art dolls for the past year. A bear artist since the 1980s, she has started making dolls to expand her creativity and inspiration, explaining the transition thus, “The dolls and bears go well together.”
Currently, Linda is getting ready for the Quinlan show in Philadelphia this May, and IDTS in Asheville, NC, in June. She will be exhibiting her dolls (and bears), featuring Father Christmas with handmade bears, rag doll, and toys; a beautiful young girl, Laura, with red hair and green eyes, inspired by the book, Anne of Green Gables; Josephine, the French Empress; The Children's Angel, holding a handmade teddy bear; an elf huntsman named Lorengil, with his red fox companion; and a little wizard. Linda's talented husband, John, will be showing his Band Man Group, including Max the Sax, Mr. Bass Man, Keyboard Kyle, and more. Linda has written teddy bear and doll poems that have been set to music by her husband, John J. Trinckes, a talented musician. They form a duo called "Our Time", and will be singing teddy bear and doll songs at the Quinlan show on Saturday morning before the show opens. They also will be exhibiting their original dolls and Linda's Beariety Bears. A CD of the songs, and a coffee table book with pictures and poems, are available. They share a website at www.trinckesmusic.com. Linda and John plan to travel and share their art as much as possible in the future.
Brown-Trinckes finds inspiration in the fantasy realm, the inhabitants of which are fairies, leprechauns, elves, and other appealing mythical creatures; the land of storybooks offers appealing iconoc characters as well. A series of elaborate Santas are planned, with a Victorian version already completed, and a blue/silver-themed one in the works. Brown-Trinckes works in polymer clay for the heads, shoulder plates, forearms and hands, and lower legs and feet. The bodies are cloth-covered, padded wire armatures, with swivel joints at the shoulders and hips for poseability.  Glass eyes and mohair wigs are added, and the face is colored and shaded with oil or acrylic painting. The size range is 8”-20”, and all are OOAK. She is open to accepting commissions for special pieces. She has won the PDMAG (Professional Doll Makers Artist Guild) Mentor’s Choice Award last fall for her Santa.
Like many artists, Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes is multi-dimensional in her talents. Besides being a singer/songwriter and part of a duo called Our Time, with her talented musician husband, John, she has professionally exhibited and sold artwork since 1983, and has been making bears and soft sculpture for 30 years.  She and her husband have released a CD with 13 of their original teddy bear songs, and a coffee table book with her teddy bear poems (which were set to music on the CD) and large color pictures of her bears and dolls.

Contact Information: 
Email: brownlindaellen@gmail.com
Website: www.trinckesmusic.com  www.ourtime7.com
 (352) 854-1856