Oriented on making people closer

In making handmade dolls Bahar Durdyeva "was engaged” about ten years ago when she wanted to present her leaving guest something original as keepsake. A doll in national clothes, sewed by her own hand, became a impulse for immersing in a new, especial world for Bahar.

The master on making painting of dolls in Turkmen dresses creates them in the various technics - from coarse calico, PVA coated and acryl, from polymeric clay, dried gourds. Bahar Durdyeva told how it is possible to make dolls from Lagenaria (pumpkins) by hand and familiarized with variants of preparation, design and pumpkin ornament.

• I begin all the process from scratch. I put pumpkins along the fence, and they while grow, decorate themselves my court yard, - the skilled master tells. - Pumpkins grow almost half a year, until late autumn and their leaves do not dry. When leaves and rods of pumpkin dry up, it is possible to remove and transfer it to the attic so that it can dry completely. The process takes exactly a year that is the following step is painting. It is impossible to finish painting in one day. Usually there passes a week and in this time I do in parallel some other works.

From the story of Bahar I have learnt that before to start to paint a pumpkin, it is necessary to remove its top thin cover. For this purpose it or cover it in a wet fabric, or for a short while lower it in boiled water and then remove its thin layer with knife. The process is long, but it guarantees durability of painting of pumpkin. After cleaning the pumpkin it is again dried and coated with PVA and acrylic coating.

• Many technical details I was taught by artist Eleonora Nazarenko. I do not have any specially worked drawings, each work is in its own way individual and unique. Each artist has the operating time and small secrets. Well and in the rest - as the soul desires, - the skilled master continues.

And it is fact that dolls of Bahar Durdyeva are not similar to each other, each of them has its own look, and "soul". It is the soul that the author puts into her products. As you can see, all is simple enough. The main thing is to show creative thinking and creativity.

• This year I was very much pleased with the order from a museum in Spain, in which exposition - more than 600 dolls from every corner of the globe. They have filled up the collection with mine pumpkins, painted and dressed in Turkmen costumes. Very much it was pleasant to them, - adds Bahar. - While they have got four my dolls, and in general my works travelled worldwide - Germany, Sweden, the USA, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Italy, Spain and others.

The skilled master says that she cannot be engaged in creativity only in one direction and consequently periodically changes it and passes from dolls to illustrations, from illustrations - to painting of pumpkins. At present she works with design of cards which will acquaint people with Turkmen customs, culture and interesting places for travel.

• I take part in the international exhibitions where my works are placed on stands for display with the flag of Turkmenistan. There are so many emotions and energy, words cannot transfer it! And it is during this moment that you understand that all work has been done by you knowingly. Emotions of people are a powerful impulse for artists, it - as feedback, - Bahar Durdyeva told at parting.

  Mahri Yagmurova