(Lori Platt – The Pixie Knoll)

A Passion for Childhood Whimsy

by Pam North

For Florida resident, Lori Platt, it started in childhood, with Play-Doh, crayons, fabric, and fibers. Even then, using simple materials, she had a passion for self-expression. Fast forward to 2000, when she graduated with an Associate in Science degree in Graphic Design Technology. Pastels, watercolors, and pen and ink became her tools as she pursued her goal of becoming children’s book illustrator. “I wanted to write and illustrate the books that fueled the imagination of children around the world,” she explained, “however, my muses had other plans for my creative journey. Instead, as I dabbled in nearly all media, trying to find the right voice for my creative temperament, it seemed like nothing could fully satiate my need for artistic expression.” 
A book on how to make simple cloth dolls, discovered by chance in her local library, was the catalyst for her future path. Her first attempts in that venue were given as gifts to the small children in her family and neighborhood. Another book find, this one on making more elaborate cloth doll figures, brought additional information and ideas, and she began to tinker with design concepts. Eventually, her cloth dolls became more intricate, to the point where she incorporated jointing mechanisms and wire into the dolls for posing and movement. Christmas of 2008 brought a gift from her husband of polymer clay, accompanied by a package of extras to create a Santa doll. While polymer clay was not unfamiliar to her, she had never been tempted before to experiment with it, but with the opportunity suddenly in her lap, she rose to its beckoning challenge, creating her first doll in that medium. The missing link, polymer clay, had presented itself as the vital ingredient to fuse her creative passion with all the other elements. “Everything I loved to do could be done in the creation of one doll figure – sculpting, painting, and sewing - and it encompassed my creativity and fueled my imagination. I had finally found my creative voice in the world of doll artistry.” 
With time and effort, her creative efforts continued to evolve. “The realization of humble beginnings became very apparent when I looked at the first figures I created. My first dolls had seemed pretty good for first efforts, but after I had created a few more, I saw just how bad the first ones were. I had a lot of practicing to do in order to perfect my new art form! There absolutely is truth in the saying ‘practice makes perfect’. That said, I hope that I never reach perfection when creating art dolls, because then the challenge of trying to make them perfect would be gone.”
Lori’s dolls are created primarily in a 6” to 24” size range, using fine-quality products such as Prosculpt and Premier paper clay. No molds are used, not are any taken from them, as they are one-of-a-kind art dolls. Some are poseable with a cloth body over a wire armature; some are fully-sculpted figurines. Their costumes are hand-tailored from her original patterns. Their eyes are sometimes hand-painted, but more often are of glass or handmade glass-like material. Their hair is from Tibetan lambswool, mohair or viscose. Fantasy and holiday themes are her focus, and much time,thought, and love are invested in the creation of each art doll. She recently has made a ball-jointed doll (BJD), and is thinking of trying more of that type. 
Since her artistic journey had begun with her desire to become an illustrator for children’s books, it had seemed to her that she had abandoned that dream. Over the years, however, she realized that her sculptures portrayed her love for storytelling, and instead were three dimensional with appeal to a different audience. “It’s funny how your muses can bring you full circle, and you’re not aware that it’s happening along the way,” she remarked.
Inspiration, key to her work, is derived from many sources, and she cited several, “The brilliant works of Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud, and the Hobbit lore, among many other wonderful works of fantasy, fuel the spark of my imagination. I love to sculpt pixies, fairies, and gnomes, and also holiday-themed figures for Halloween and Christmas. Those themes make me happy. and it’s my hope that they also bring happiness to others, while bringing back great childhood memories.”
Her love for works based on childhood themes and nursery rhymes will be visualized in some of the creations she plans for the future, such as Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Her sculpting style blends nicely into those themes, which also fit into her trade name of The Pixie Knoll. 
Another artistic direction she currently is pursuing is that of spotlighting art dolls in the world of fine arts. As she explained, “Living in central Florida puts me in the middle of many fine art festivals each year, which is a great venue in which to share my dolls, In order to accomplish this goal, I recently acquired an artist’s show tent for outdoor festivals, and am pleased to say that already I have been juried into some of the area’s fine art shows. With any luck, I will be successful in my endeavor, and, at the same time, introduce new collectors to the world of art dolls and the medium of polymer clay.”
Contact Information:
Email:  lori@thepixieknoll.com 
Website:  www.thepixieknoll.com  
Blog:  www.thepixieknoll.blogspot.com 
Etsy store:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/pixieknoll 
Telephone: (352) 455-3454