Daphyne Altman

Daphyne holds two of her spirit dolls.  She gave a workshop September 9, 2006.  The workshop was quickly filled, prompting a waiting list to accommodate as many takers as possible.

Artist's Statement

DAPHYNE ALTMAN

When I make a cloth doll I believe too much is not enough.  As I work, a doll will take on a persona that is often not what I'd originally intended.  It is easy to believe each doll has a spirit of its own.

I credit my mother with encouraging my talents as an artist. I'd help her to bead flowers, sew muslin kimonos, and tie die cloth. In my twenties, I studied art at Sacramento Junior College.  It was a demanding and intense art program, but my studies were cut short when the Art Department closed after Pearl Harbor.  While living and traveling with my husband in the Philippines, India and Saudi Arabia, I became influenced by the vibrant colors and intricate patterns of native arts.  My weavings, mosaics, jewelry, and other arts have been sold at the Coast Gallery in Big Sur, Nordstrom's in San Francisco, and Chico venues including Grace Junior's, Vagabond Rose, and Made in Chico.

In recent years, I've studied photography and painting at Butte College, glass blowing and sculpture at CSUC and fabric arts at the Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts in Berkeley.  All of the mediums in which I have worked have enriched each other.