Meet a New Clay Artist: Oksana Dyachenko

Summer Flowers, closeup

Oksana Dyachenko is an artist from the Ukraine who creates dolls and toys.  In her profile she says she has enjoyed creating bears and dolls for a long time. She calls them her "kids" and, roughly translated, says:  "My kids are very different, funny, sweet, thoughtful, loved. They are all alive, warm and genuine. I have put into their creation a piece of each one's soul.  I work with ease, love and inspiration and I'd like to have my work pleased you with warm and uplifting feeling."



Oksana works with Paperclay and Darwi (Darwin) air dry clays.  She also works with textiles and yarns.  Her blog can be found here.  Original text is in Russian but link is to page that is translated to English.

Summer Flowers

   

"Summer Flowers" is a summer girl, warm, mischievous, playful, bright, happy. This is my childhood, joy and openness.  This also is my interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood, who is not always in a hurry with goodies to her grandmother. Sometimes she just walks in the woods and picks flowers.

Doll stands about 10" tall.   The body is a wire frame with head, hands, legs sculpted from clay. Doll is painted in watercolor.   Hair is goat fibers. The clothes are sewn in natural fabrics with ribbons and lace.  Basket of flowers and hair garland are made with clay and beads.

Breath of Summer

"Breath of Summer" is another of Oksana's dolls made of clay with wire frame body. It's been painted with oils and the hair is goat skin.  Clothes are nonwoven fabric, beads, metal fittings, mikrobiser (no translation) and wire.   The doll stands about 18" tall mounted on stand. Stand is made of plaster.

Oksana also likes to knit and will knit many of the outfits for her kids and sometimes knits very cute toy teddy bears and bunnies with a soft, fluffy mohair.   The next doll has a knitted outfit.

"Forget Me" (or is it "Forget-Me-Not")

Very detailed tutorial by Oksana to create a doll like this 

can be found at my Air Dry Clay Tutorial Directory

Oksana's Forget-Me doll is a clean, bright Spring girl. This little fairy creature is positively uplifting. This doll stands about 10" tall.  Stand or sit doll on shelf.  Head can turn to show expression.

"The Kitten" 

"The Kitten" by Oksana is a mischievous prankster and loves to fool around. The kitten is not made of clay but so cute I had to show you.  He is a stuffed toy, sewn with Alpaca. Kitten has glass eyes and snout, heels, toes are made of felted wool.