Artist Info - Diane Troutman
From her earliest days of youth, Diane began developing her artistic
talent. Using her hands and vision she has demonstrated her creativity
in a variety of mediums including tole painting, silk screening fabric,
jewelry making, graphic design, lampworking beads and most everything
in between. Diane has designed, created and sold her finished pieces to
the public for almost twenty years. She has always felt a special
connection with those purchasing her art and she is inspired and
encouraged by their comments.
Diane's first exposure to dollmaking came at a workshop in 1996 where
she first sculpted with polymer clay. Her natural talent was apparent
from her attention to detail and her ability to create life-like dolls
from her original ideas. Having fond personal memories of Christmas,
Diane's first sculpture was a Santa, and Troutman Originals was born.
Immediately, her intrigue for the art form grew and she began her
never-ending quest for knowledge and experience in both sculpting and
dollmaking. Diane joined and became an active member in a local fabric
doll club experimenting with creating dolls in fabric and other
mediums. She prefers the polymer clay medium and finds it best suited
for bringing her ideas to life. Creating three dimensional life-like
sculptures of Christmas characters brings her great joy and provides a
way for her to share her memories. Through numerous workshops, she has
learned specific techniques in sculpting, proportion, posing, skeletal
structure, durability, and other areas. These techniques are
incorporated into every doll she creates. Diane has dedicated herself
to developing her own style of dolls, each with a unique character and
theme. She creates each doll with the intent that it will become a
collectible heirloom proudly displayed and admired for many years to
come.
In April 2004, Diane became a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild
of Craftsmen and in August 2004, she was accepted to become a member of
the Original Doll Artists Council of America (ODACA), an organization
dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in original doll making. Diane
is also a member of the Academy of American Doll Artists and a local
polymer clay doll group. Her dolls have been featured in national
magazines, have been exhibited at regional doll shows and in galleries
and doll shops in Pennsylvania and other states. Diane's Santas have
been sold at various shows including International Toy Fair, IDEX,
Artist United, Doll & Teddy Bear Expo East and others throughout the
country. Diane thanks you for your interest and encourages you to visit
her website, or to visit a show, gallery or shop near you.
