jana seven

I have always told stories. First to the children that I cared for as a nanny, then for twenty years as an illustrator of children’s books. When the stories in my head drew from deeper parts of my brain and could no longer be expressed with words or drawings, and were perhaps too dark or oblique to entertain children with, I turned to raw materials, such as wood, clay, sticks and strips of fabric to help tell them.

The pieces I create are in the form of dolls. I find dolls, and our reactions to them, their ability to connect with people on a very primitive level, compelling. I am also fascinated with making dolls that move, so I have made simple puppets, jack in the boxes and spinning automata.

What inspires these figures are simple concepts such as death, safety, interiority. They are often wrapped in layers of thread or fabric, and sometimes have something tucked away inside of them.