Alice's Adventure in
Wonderland
Story by Lewis Carroll
Illustrated by Nancy Wiley
Companion Dolls by Nancy Wiley
The Illustrated Book
The major scenes of the book are fully
illustrated by Nancy Wiley with all of the quirky characters from the story.
The photo-illustrations of three-dimensional "stage sets" provide a unique
interpretation of this complete timeless classic.
This deluxe eighty-eight page hardcover book
brings new life to the whimsical world of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.
Alice! a childish story take,
And with a gentle hand
Lay it where Childhood's dreams are twined
In Memory's mystic band,
Like pilgrim's withered wreath of flowers
Plucked in a far-off land.
Nancy Wiley's work has been shown
internationally in galleries and museums and covered by many publications,
including the New York Times, In Style, and the Harvard Law Review.
Her work has appeared on the cover of George magazine in 1996 when Demi
Moore and John F. Kennedy Jr. hired her to costume and style Ms. Moore as one of
Nancy's one-of-a-kind dolls. In 2004, a retrospective of Wiley's work was
shown at the Muscatine Art Center in Iowa. The same year, Reverie Press
published A Dollmaker's Art: The Creations of Nancy Wiley, a full
cover book covering over 100 images of Nancy's work as well as her biography,
written by Louise Fecher. After taking two years off to heal from a back
injury, Nancy decided in 2008 that the time was right to make dolls in a
different context.
Nancy has always loved and
collected beautifully illustrated books. She graduated from the Rhode
Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. After graduating,
Nancy apprenticed with her brother, William Arthur Wiley, who was a well-known
doll sculptor. Sadly, the collaboration was short-lived, ending abruptly
when William Wiley passed away in 1991. The skills William had taught
Nancy stayed with her, and she also used many illustration techniques to tell
stories within the doll sculptures. After twenty years, Nancy has come
full circle to her student aspirations of illustrating a book.
At the age of seven, Nancy was
given a copy of the story titled "Alice's Adventures Underground,"
written and illustrated in Lewis Carroll's own hand. The book made a vivid
impression on the artist so when the time came to illustrate a book, Alice and
the strange characters she encounters were the perfect subject for the artist.
These original drawings were the reference point for Nancy's approach to the
story (it later was published as "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" with
important additions like the Mad Tea Party). The artist uses some
unconventional materials like burlap and string for Alice's hair, for instance,
because she finds it reminiscent of the pencil or pen marks from the original
drawings.
Nancy's dolls and sculptures have
always incorporated her love of oil painting, giving her pieces a quality that
the artist describes as "three dimensional canvases." She took this effect
one step further with the illustrations of the book, creating intricate
backdrops and miniature scenes in which the figures act out the story.
These "theaters" work well to offer a fresh approach as well as an old-fashioned
traditional style. Nancy Wiley then worked with the graphic artist and
fellow doll creator Chris Chomick, to create the look of aged pages and a worn
cover. The typeface - which is the same as the original book published in
1865 - was chosen to give the book an antiquated quality, as if it were a
treasure recently discovered from a bygone era. Nancy credit Chris with
helping her realize her vision and feels she could not have succeeded without
her.
The Companion Dolls
Alice
- Is it a doll or is it art? Answer - Its both! Wiley treats
her dolls as three-dimensional canvases, painting the face, bodies and
clothing using a classic portrait painting technique playing with light
and shadow. Alice is 10 inches tall - $350.
Queen of Hearts - The maniacal Queen who bosses around the
inhabitants of Wonderland wears a dress that is partly sculpted and
partly painted canvas, just as she appears in the pages of the book. 11
inches tall - $300.
The White
Rabbit - The character who started it all! Alice
followed this White Rabbit to Wonderland. His clothes are sculpted
and he is holding a pocket watch with fob chain. 6 inches tall -
$200.
Cheshire Cat - Who can resist the Cheshire Cat's mysterious
grin? A must have for fans of the story. 2 1/2 inches tall -
$175.
