Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus
QUESTION 2. Whimsy often appears lighthearted, yet handmade figures can hold complex emotional textures. What deeper human theme—comfort, mischief, rebellion, protection, nostalgia—sneaks into your work whether you intend it to or not?
ANSWER 2. All my dolls are sewn keeping the customer's customizations in mind. If they're meant to relieve medical conditions, I fill them with wishes of strength and healing. If they are meant to fight social and political matters, I fill them with positive vibes and perseverance. If they are only meant to be humorous and to provide a good laugh, they will be filled with plain happiness and joy.
Elisa Relvas
Fiber Artist
BIO: I´m a 57 year old woman, born in the Netherlands and currently living in Portugal, a beautiful country that's the 2nd most cheapest country for foreigners to live or visit, but for locals, it has become incredibly expensive. Our minimum wage is a joke, and it isn't even enough to pay the rent for a one room apartment.
Since I was young I always dedicated myself to art as a hobby, mostly drawing and painting. I worked mainly as a retail employee but my last job was at the Postal Service where I was a courier for my last working years before I got laid off.
At 40, I moved to Lisbon so my daughter could go to Art School, but finding a job there turned out to be impossible mostly because of my age. I went into deep depression, but slowly recovered by seeking professional help and starting a project that later became my little business.
I call my creations Emotional Support Voodoo Dolls. I make them out of unwanted fabrics, they're a hand size big and contain a magnet inside. Their purpose is to write your troubles on their little chest tag and one pin a day, send the bad mood away! They are only stress relievers and are not in any way meant to do harm. They have helped many overcome their problems in life and some therapists even use them in their sessions. I've been making them for 7 years now, and it gives me joy because they help people by making them laugh, and happiness is something we must treasure in life, even if it's just for a brief moment.
LINK: VuDuDollShop
QUESTION 3. Small-scale art demands both technical precision and imaginative freedom. What creative boundary or “rule” have you intentionally broken that opened up a completely new style or character type for your dolls?
ANSWER 3. My work engages with political, social and cultural issues. I broke the politically and socially correct boundary. I chose a side in society. That makes my work not enjoyable by everyone. Some might even take offense. Maybe this aspect of my work might make me lose a huge customer base, but I don't care. I prefer my work to have meaning and not be only my source of income.
QUESTION 1. Your dolls feel like tiny beings with their own destinies. When you begin a new character, do you start with a story and build the doll to fit it, or does the doll’s personality reveal itself only as you create?
ANSWER 1. My dolls are blank canvases. They only reveal their personality after the customer customizes them.
All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Elisa Relvas.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.
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