It’s a doll’s life!

A JJ School of Art graduate, artist Kavita Thakur had been busy working on her murals and sculptures when she was asked by a friend to create a miniature replica of a couple, to gift it.

Thus, was born a new addition to the 48-year-old’s repertoire of work — handmade dolls. These 10-inch statuettes are as real-to-life as they get, and the artist prides herself in being able to customise them using pictures. “I even made miniatures of my friends, just to experiment with it, and it grew little by little. Now, there’s a lot of demand for this, and I’m left with no time at all after making these,” she laughs softly.

Most dolls she has designed have been of couples posing, and the silky fall of sarees and the ironed stiffness of suits can be seen in the statuettes. So, what exactly is the material these are made of? “Initially, I started with ceramics since I had already been working with it to make sculptures. But with that, it would come to only about 60-70 per cent perfection. As an artist, I have always been researching on new material, so I started working on one that had a more realistic and a smoother look.” Thus was born a flexible material, which was a derivative of silicone.

“The statuettes won’t break,” Kavita explains, on being quizzed about the longevity of her creations. “Given the flexibility of the material though, the hand or leg may go out of shape if you fidget with it. But then the saree pallu I make or the hairstyle can be changed and moved around just a little bit. I experimented a lot with a few early models I made. I threw them around, and I let them sit in my studio. The only thing I noticed about them was that they tend to get a little dusty. So, I recommended that my clients put theirs in a glass or acrylic casing.”

At Rs 19,000 for a couple’s statuette, these are rather high on the price range, but the amount of work that goes into making one of these shows why they’re special. According to Kavita, a single one of these need about 30 to 40 days to create. “I tell my clients to come to me only if they have this much time to spare. See, if you wish to work round the clock and finish a piece of art, there’s no soul in it. So, one spends around two or three hours a day on it and then do another work, so your mind is fresher when you come back to it. Observation is rather important when it comes to making art, and artists are not machines,” she shrugs.

Kavita Thakur

And while she makes these by herself, Kavita adds that she gets some help too. “I have support in the form of people I mentor,” she says. “There are also girls from the local area, who don’t really have other jobs. I take them under my wing and they help out in my studio. However, they only do what I ask them to, and they’re more laymen than anything. So, adding a little clay here and there… the raw work they help me out with.”

Unsurprisingly, people tend to get these made for special occasions like weddings and landmark anniversaries. “I also sit down with them and speak with them about it first, so they know it’s very special. It’s only when the person who gifts values the present that the receiver values it,” she signs off.