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Meet Wendy Avner
My name is Wendy Avner. I was born in Chicago, IL. in 1957, yes I am getting
older but in the past few years I have become very comfortable with myself. I know who I am, what I am capable of and
I know I can do anything I set my mind to. I only wish I felt this way when I was 20. But experience and knowledge come from
time and patience. So here I am. Everyone in my family is
talented. My father was a born illustrator & loves the world of electronics. My mother has the voice of an opera
singer and performs at social gatherings. My sister has had her poems published and knits lovely scarves. My brother is a genius who lives in the world of computers and plays the clarinet, the piano,
paints, sculpts and builds model ships. I have always been artistic.
I remember copying the funny pages when I was very young. My parents sent me to art classes on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
All through my schooling I practically lived in the art department. I won many art awards including Artist of the Year and
a 1st place scholarship for $500. in high school.
Yes this is me and my husband Mitch
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After high school I worked as an illustrator at the yellow
pages at night and as a short order cook at a local bar during the day to save money for college. My parents have
always been very supportive of me and helped with my tuition. I went to the American Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago
and graduated with a Graphics Art Degree. I moved out to Oregon and drew portraits at the Saturday market in Eugene and Portland.
I was invited by KATU News to do courtroom drawing for them. I learned a great deal from the reporters and cameramen. It was
a wonderful period of time to hone in on my skills as a portrait painter.
I developed artist block and decided to take a design class at the Oregon School of Arts & Crafts. It turned out to be a turning point in my life. I learned not to care
when I "ruined" a piece of white paper. I used design techniques to make my imagination bloom and expand. What
began as a study in design opened up a new world of ideas to me. Using what I termed my Rorschach drawings, I began to study
them letting my imagination take over, images came into view, I would take pastel in hand and bring out what I saw. I haven't
really thought of the whys of it but what appeared more and more were circus themes, jesters, clowns, circus tents and so
on. bright colors, bold textures I loved it! And still do. When I began sculpting dolls this circus theme has stayed with
me. As you will see in the doll gallery.
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I have been married to the same wonderful man for 25 years come this May. My husband
is a talented singer & writes such beautiful songs and is the lead singer in a rock band "Brydge". He has always
been very supportive of me and I of him. We have 1 son who has grown
into a fine young man, whom we are very proud of. He has taken our artistic gifts as his own & has gone into the world
of computers. He has married a smart and wonderful woman and now we are blessed with a beautiful granddaughter. I began sculpting dolls when my son was young. I found I liked creating them and so did
my family and friends. I started selling them in small boutiques and then into fine galleries as my skills improved. I have
never taken formal doll-making classes. I have read many doll-making books and have taken bits of knowledge from all of them
& made it my own. I have worked at many odd jobs over the years to stay afloat, but I have always kept my art throughout.
I have had my dolls in national doll magazines and many articles written about them in the local news papers. I have shown
my dolls in galleries locally and across the US. I will continue to learn from every experience I have and I will keep improving my skills to make my dolls always better.
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