Marlaine Verhelst is a doll artist since 1977. She began doll making after her education as an illustrator at Art Academy in Den Bosch, The Netherlands.
She considers her dolls three-dimensional illustrations of imaginary stories. These stories you may imagine yourself.
Inspiration often comes from found materials.
Marlainde never uses existing images or illustrations to copy.
Heads, hands and feet are handsculpted directly into porcelain or self-hardening clay. Animals and objects used with the dolls, are modeled from papier-maché or creative paperclay around a base of Styrofoam.
Marlaine travels extensively exhibiting and teaching workshops.
Every June Marlaine teaches an international workshop week near Paris, France. https://marlaineverhelst.com/site/nl/workshop-parijs/