Johnna Art Doll By Barbara Buysse

A Johnna Art Doll by Barbara Buysse

(To listen to a narration of this post, click the play arrow.)

 

For years, I wanted to add a Johnna Art Doll by Barbara Buysse to my collection. I recall contacting the artist several years after she retired to ask if she was still making dolls. I wanted to commission her to make one for me or purchase one if she had one available. I had no luck. Ms. Buysse informed me that she was no longer making dolls and that she began making them to help fund her daughter's college education. I believe she also shared that her daughter's name is Johnna. 

Recently, I saved "Johnna Art Dolls by Barbara Buysse" as an eBay search. A few showed up sporadically, but their prices were far beyond what I am willing to pay for dolls today. In the past, I would have snapped one up without a second thought. I passed on the others because I know if it's for me I'll have it if I exercise patience, and I'll have it at a price I am willing to pay.

He is 12 inches tall and wears "distressed" clothing and shoes.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a notification from eBay about this crying boy's auction. When I saw the price, I knew he would be mine. The buy-it-now price was quite reasonable, but there was a make-offer feature, so I made a reasonable offer which the seller accepted.  

The package arrived swiftly. I kept him boxed for about a week before opening the box... not for pandemic safety like I've done in the past, but because I've been so busy with other projects. I did spray Lysol on the outside of the box. I haven't stopped doing that. 

This past Sunday (April 2, 2023), I opened the box and fell even more in love with this little guy. I've entered him in my 2023 Excel spreadsheet as the last doll purchase for March as follows:

From the copied spreadsheet entry above, I omitted the price I paid and the seller's buy-it-now price. 

View additional photos below.

From the front, his face looks three-dimensional; however, this profile view reveals his flat face and attached cloth ears.

He wears an oversized "aged" white sweater.

His hair is sculpted and painted black.

The dirt and scuffs on his sneakers indicate he has been playing hard or maybe that they are hand-me-downs.

A "Johnna Art Dolls" cloth label is on the back of his "distressed" light-blue overalls.

The artist's signature and the year this little one was made are written on the doll's back.

View DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum entry for other Barbara Buysee dolls owned by another collector who graciously shared her photos and the dolls' information with the museum. 

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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Joy in the Palm of My Hand

Joy is a one-of-a-kind art doll by Sharon E. Tucker.

After seeing Joy's adorable face as the doll advertising a Dollmaking Party event posted on Facebook by the artist who made her, I thought "how precious!"  The event is a cloth dollmaking workshop, which takes place on May 6, 2017, in Philadelphia.  I knew it would be impossible for me to attend, but that did not prevent my adoration of Joy.

Later that day or within the same week, the artist, Sharon E. Tucker, posted Joy for sale along with several other 8-inch-in-the-seated-position Tub-It Dolls, some of which were already marked sold.  I considered inquiring about Joy, but the price was not indicated, so I did not bother to ask.  An update to that post a day or so later revealed the price after someone else inquired.  The price was reasonable, so I named and claimed Joy as mine.


She arrived quickly.  It was at that time I discovered her head is permanently positioned slightly to her right, which gives her an inquisitive demeanor.  Something has happened or she has heard something she is not quite sure about.  She wants to know more.

Joy has a light brown upholstery-type fabric face, onto which most of  her features are hand drawn.  Two tiny black beads serve as eyes. A cowrie shell headband frames her forehead, and she has a beauty mark on her lower left cheek. 

The artist added her signature and included the year made on the back of Joy's right arm.

Her arms, as shown here and immediately above, are made of the same fabric as her face. Her legs and feet are sewn of pink fabric. A ribbon with cowrie shell is tied around her left ankle.  Her sewn-on clothing consists of two pieces of multicolored floral material, the bottom portion of which is pellet weighted.

Joy's hair is made from tan, white, and brown yarn.  A section of the top is pulled up into a top-knot with a PVC-coated wire clip.  Take a closer look a the back of her hair below:

Too cute!

Joy wears a necklace of three wooden blocks that spell out J-O-Y in any direction the blocks are turned.

She is made to sit, but...

...with the assistance of a doll stand, Joy can stand, too!  In the standing position, she is 14 inches tall.

The artist drew this sketch on the back of a handwritten thank you note that accompanied Joy.

This is my second doll by Sharon E. Tucker.  My first one, that I named Sandy in honor of Sandra Bland, was purchased in 2015 and can be seen here.

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