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Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max Bailey

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max Bailey Every year on Valentine’s Day, Rosie is invited to sell her roses at the general store in the middle of town.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyShe’s a country girl, tall and slim and pretty, with strawberry blonde hair, who arrives in a homespun blue dress, a colorful heart apron, and a fashionable hat with a rose.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyRosie has the most beautiful roses ever seen anywhere, and nobody knows how she grows them. People whisper that she must have a secret garden.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyOnly gentlemen with true love in their hearts dare come to Rosie to buy her roses, for it is generally known that she can look into their hearts and see if there is love there.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyIt is rumored that if she doesn’t see love in a gentleman’s heart, she will look at him with her clear blue eyes and say, “I am sorry sir, but you may not have my roses.”

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyYet if a sincere gentleman with empty pockets would like to buy her roses for his sweetheart, she will most often say, “Sir, you may have them for nothing.”

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyRosie is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, conceived and created from design to last brushstroke by me, Max Bailey. She is 15 inches tall, and carries red ribbon roses with green ribbon leaves, which I made just for her. (The secret garden is in my work room.) Her body is sewn from cotton fabric, then stuffed and painted with acrylic paints. She has needle-sculpted fingers and button-jointed arms to make her easy to pose.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyHer skirt is hand-painted blue gray, with decorative stripes of pink and gold. Her hat is removable and hand-painted as well, with a little pink stripe along the edge of the brim that matches her pink tights and the pink stripes on her collar and cuffs. Although you can’t see it in the photos, I used the same pink to paint the ribbon on her pretty white pantaloons, which are painted on. Her fashionable high-button shoes are painted to match her outfit, and I added festive red hearts at the toes.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyRosie can sit in a chair or on a shelf, or stand with a doll stand (chair and doll stand not included). She is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. Rosie is an original work of art, meant for display only.

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max BaileyUpdate: Rosie has already been adopted. Thank you!

Rosie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max Bailey

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Gabriella, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Angel Ornament by Max Bailey

Gabriella, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Angel Ornament by Max BaileyGabriella is a lovely, blue-eyed angel with a golden halo, chestnut-colored hair with golden highlights, and long graceful wings. Her heavenly robe is a deep rose-red, with lighter rose highlights. The soft folds of the robe flow around her body, and I think she looks as though she might suddenly catch a breeze and lift upward in flight.

Gabriella, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Angel Ornament by Max BaileyShe represents my idea of what an angel watching over us must look like……serene, beautiful, and at peace. I painted her a brass horn with highlights to look heavenly, and gave her robe a gold band painted with precious pearls, rubies, and emeralds.

Gabriella, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Angel Ornament by Max BaileyHer wings are attached separately and the details of the feathers are painted in shades of blue. She comes ready to hang by a pearl cotton cord. Including her wings, she is 10 inches long and 8 inches wide. Without her wings, she’s about 9 inches long and 6 inches wide.

Gabriella, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Angel Ornament by Max BaileyGabriella is signed and dated by me, Max Bailey. She is a true one-of-a-kind original work of art from the beginning idea of her, to her design, to her finishing touches. I painted her with acrylics and sealed her with matte varnish to protect her.

Update: Gabriella has already been adopted. Thank you!

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Patience the Peace Angel, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Ornament by Max Bailey

Patience the Peace Angel, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Ornament by Max BaileyIn creating “Patience”, I was inspired by the beautiful dolls of the Victorian Age. Patience holds the symbol of peace, a white dove, in her hands. She has little flower-patterned bloomers, and golden lace-up shoes.

She wears a golden halo, highlighted with light tones to make it look like real gold. The golden light from the halo touches her long brown hair, and the top feathers of the dove. Patience has wing feathers that are detailed with soft blues to make them look feathery. She’s needle-sculpted at the elbows to give her more dimension.

Patience the Peace Angel, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Ornament by Max BaileyI’m especially pleased by the way her sweet little face turned out. Her green eyes have a direct and hopeful look, and her expression is a little wistful, but thoughtful rather than sad. She’s what I imagine an Angel of Peace would look like, patient and hopeful.

Patience the Peace Angel, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Ornament by Max BaileyHer little white-laced apron ties in the back in a big bow, and is signed and dated by me, Max Bailey, on the sash. Patience is 9 1/2 inches tall, with a 7 1/2 inch wingspan.

The small loop at the top of her head allows her to be hung as an ornament, but she can also be displayed as part of a table centerpiece, or propped on the mantle with your Christmas greenery, or nestled on the inside of an indoor wreath. She is softly stuffed and very lightweight.

Patience is a true one-of-a-kind original work of art. I created her first in my mind, then from my own pattern. I painted her with acrylic paints (my favorite part), then sealed her with matte varnish to protect her.

Update: Patience has been adopted.

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Pigs in Progress by Max Bailey

Horatio and Hannah, Original One-of-a-kind Flying Pig Folk Art Dolls by Max BaileyThese are “Horatio and Hannah“, my first original, one-of-a-kind hand-sculpted art dolls, in progress. This is my first time using Creative Paperclay, and it has opened up a whole new world of art dollmaking possibilities for me.

Horatio and Hannah, Original One-of-a-kind Flying Pig Folk Art Dolls by Max BaileyHoratio, the papa pig, has an entirely hand sculpted head of paperclay over hand carved styrofoam, with painted fabric ears inserted. I smoothed the paperclay into the fabric for a seamless look. Hannah, Horatio’s little piglet daughter, has a hand sculpted paperclay snout smoothed into her fabric face. They will both be painted with acrylic paint and sealed with matte varnish for protection.