max-bailey Archives - Page 60 of 81 - Ruffing’s

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Catching up with the kitties

I’m moving right along now, getting things done, like editing new doll photos and making up their web pages. These two kittens are Max Bailey‘s latest original one-of-a-kind folk art doll figurines.

This is “Katie the Tabby Kitten“, and below is “Sunflower the Ginger Tabby Kitten“. Katie’s brother gave her is kite because she admired it so much. She painted flowers all over it to make sure he didn’t ask for it back!

A sunflower farmer gave Sunflower her gift, which she is certain was named after her. She’s very flattered that all the flowers on his farm were named after her too. That’s a pretty big compliment.

Katie and Sunflower join “Violet the Siamese Kitten” in Max’s series of Itty Bitty Kitties. I can tell you, Max’s eyes are aching for something larger, and his next creations are going to be a bit bigger. I have to supply him with some more doll bodies to get him going on some other jointed original one-of-a-kind folk art dolls we have planned as well.

To see more of Katie, Sunflower, and Violet, and read their stories, please visit the links below:

Katie the Tabby Kitten

Sunflower the Ginger Tabby Kitten

Violet the Siamese Kitten

Posted on June 16, 2010September 19, 2013 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Katie the Tabby Kitten, Original One-of-a-kind Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Katie is a tabby and white kitten. She loves to go up to the top of the hill on a windy day and watch her brother and his friends fly their kites.

Her brother’s blue kite is her favorite. It sails recklessly in the wind, swaying back and forth in the sky. It is so beautifully blue that it sometimes disappears against the blue of the sky, and Katie holds her breath until it reappears against a white cloud.

One morning, Katie’s brother handed her his blue kite. “You can have this one,” he said. She was greatly surprised, but she thanked him for his generosity, took the kite, and ran home.

No one saw Katie all afternoon. While Katie isn’t very athletic, she is very artistic. She took out her paints and brushes and painted all her favorite flowers on the blue kite, until it was as flowery as a kite could be. She made pretty little bows out of her favorite hair ribbons and tied them on the tail of the kite.

“There!” said Katie, when she was satisfied with her creation. “Now he won’t ask for it back!”

Katie is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, and is meant for display only. No molds are ever used in my work. She and her kite are hand-sculpted from paperclay, and are entirely hand painted with acrylic paints. Katie’s soft pink dress has puffy sleeves, and smocking on both the front and the back. It ties at the back with a big bow. Her striped tabby tail emerges from the white petticoats that show beneath her dress. Katie’s whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Katie is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She rests firmly on a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak.

Katie is an itty bitty kitty. She stands only 4 and 1/2 inches tall. She comes with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Update: Katie has been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on May 19, 2010June 19, 2014 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Violet the Siamese Kitten, Original One-of-a-kind Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Violet is very shy.

When guests arrived this morning, she hid behind her mama and peeked at them from around her mama’s skirt.

“Don’t be such a shrinking violet,” her mama said to her.

Before she went to sleep that night, Violet worried. “What if I am shrinking?” she asked herself. “What if I become really tiny? What if I disappear altogether?”

Just as the sun was coming up, she nudged her little sister.

“Can you see me?” she asked.

“Yup. You’re as big as life,” answered her sister, yawning and barely opening one eye.

Violet was not reassured. She went to the measuring mark her mother had made on the wall and put a little book on her head, squishing her ears down. Surprisingly, she was taller than the mark!

Violet went to the edge of the woods and picked some violets. She carried the violets around all day. They didn’t shrink either.

“It’s just a figure of speech,” her mama later explained. “You aren’t really shrinking. You’re just shy, and we absolutely love you just as you are.” Mama put the violets in water and put them on the kitchen table, and smiled to herself.

Violet is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, and is meant for display only. No molds are ever used in my work. She and her violets are hand-sculpted from paperclay, and are entirely hand painted with acrylic paints. Violet’s dress is painted lavender, with dark violet trim and a dark violet bow at the back. She wears white petticoats, from which her little dark tail emerges.

Violet is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She rests firmly on a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak.

Violet is an itty bitty kitty. She stands only 4 and 5/8 inches tall. She comes with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Update: Violet has been adopted. Thank you!

Violet’s friends, Jessie and Jeannie (above left), have already been adopted.

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Not-shrinking Violet

I’m still working on our doll photos and blog pages for our Ruffing’s web site. I’m also adding pages for the dolls that you can see now, like this new little Siamese kitten. Her name is Violet, and she’s afraid she’s shrinking. You can read Violet’s cute story here.

Violet is an original, one-of-a-kind folk art doll figurine by Max Bailey.

It has been rainy and dreary here, which is making me want to go into hibernation. I get so sleepy when it is dark and raining. I’m trying to muster up some energy!