Gallery 1

Gallery 2

Gallery 3

Gallery 4

Cities

This project started coincidentally when driving away from my first visit to New York City. All of a sudden I envisioned the image of the figurine that I wished to convey. The look of that character was very new for my style at the time but I imagined it perfectly to make it real. I liked this idea as a pair for my first one I chose Moscow, piecing together my views and observations of the city I know so well. I enjoyed the challenge of such a task very much and eventually created three more city characters for this project.

Paper dolls

I was always interested in Russian Folk Costume and was happy to combine it with my love of Paper Dolls. It was a pleasure to see my creations published in “Doll Life” Magazine (August’92, February’93, December’93). Vasilissa is a paper recreation of my original doll and was featured in “Dolls” Magazine (February’96). It was a new experience to extend my doll’s life with a different media. My last addition to this collection was created for the NIADA Paper Doll project in 2008.

Quilts

1989 – “All-Union Exhibition of Young Artists”, Manezh, Moscow, Russia
1990 – “Patch-mosaic”, Museum of Applied Arts, Moscow, Russia
1991 – The Great American Quilt Festival III, “Discovering Quilts in Russia”, Folk Art Museum, New York, USA
1992 – “Russian Folk Art”, Museum of Applied Arts, Moscow, Russia
1993 – Collage of Quilts II, North Salem, USA

Story

As long as I remember, I liked to draw, glue and sculpt and most of all I was keen about making doll like objects. Once in school we’ve had writing assignment ‘What I would like to do when I grow up’. I wrote I would like to work at a doll factory painting doll faces and eyes. I believed with slight differences in brush strokes the facial expression of the doll could magically change.

I eventually forgot about the doll factory for awhile and after the graduation I entered the Moscow College of Fine Arts graduating with a degree in restoration of Icons and oil paintings. I worked as a freelance artist in a various directions making illustrations, designs, TV projects. In my spare time I took an interest in quilting and continued with my doll making pursuit.

My first collection of dolls as art objects was created in 1982, which I exhibited at various art shows in Moscow. It was very innovative direction for that time, as I tried to promote the idea of doll as an Art object to observe and enjoy. I was exploring different materials and styles and it took some time until I found the most suitable way for my self expression.Finally after few years my artistic interests concentrated on Art doll completely and became my major passion.

I admire the diversity of human faces and forms and my dolls consisting of mixture of various cultural and ethnic traces. I mesmerized by the process of animating a piece of clay although it is the most labor and time intensive part of each project. The painting is also the most exciting part as this is when the look and more importantly the soul of the doll are created. My goal is to express the doll’s character through the pose of the body and through the look in the eyes. I use different techniques and styles of painting to convey the mood that I am trying to achieve in the piece. The costuming is in a way the secondary stage in completing the look. I often treat and dye vintage fabrics and use vintage accessories enjoying how the textures and colors seem to magically fall together completing the creative process.

I seek to make the figure look timeless and universal; to help viewers concentrate on the moment. I am always trying to gain emotional depth in my work and make it speak without words as a way to communicate my deepest thoughts and feelings.

About

Comrade-in-Art, “Dolls” September 2000.

“Baeva’s joy in her work and her talents have made her a natural magnet for admirers both in her homeland and abroad, particularly in the United States where she was accepted into membership in the prestigious National Institute of American Doll Artists (NIADA). Some view her as an unofficial ambassador for the small but emerging group of Russian doll artists.”

Nayda Rondon, editor.

“Tatiana creates dolls that represent a distinctively Russian culture both in costuming and subject matter. Her pieces are serious, intense or melancholy”

Deborah Hellman, Dolls Etcetera Ltd.

Professional associations:

1990 – Professional Artists Committee, Moscow Russia
1995 – International Federation of artists Moscow Russia
1999 – Member of NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artist)
2005 – Member of Moscow Union of Artists
2009 – Chairman of “Association of Doll Artists” Moscow

Awards:

1992 – 2nd Place Award, 10th Anniversary Convention of the Global Doll Society Convention, Koln, Germany
1993 – Third place Award, Collage of Quilts II, North Salem, USA
2003 – Diploma “For Personal touch”, Egoist magazine, Moscow
2005 – First recipient of “Mega Star” award for professional achievement, International Doll Salon, Moscow
2007 – Annual juried Award, DollArt.ru, Moscow
2008 – Diploma “For Outstanding Contribution to Doll Art in Russia”, OFIR, Moscow

Organisations

NIADA - National Institute of American Doll Artists
Elena Gromova Gallery

Artists

Olga Roehl
Ima Naroditskaya
Akira & Lary Blount
Shelley Thornton
Sylvia Natterer

Contacts

If you have any quesitons or comments regarding my work, you welcome to contact me

tatiana@baevadolls.com