Leary, Jeanette Lee

Jeanette Lee Leary is obsessed with creating whimsical miniature art doll figures to celebrate the seasons and the holidays. As her and her twin sister's birthdays are in October, Halloween is in their blood and October has always been a festive, fun month. Jeanette started making dolls over 30 years ago.  She began making Santa dolls that she sold in a local shop. Her dolls are now consistently small and range from about 5 to 8 inches tall.  They remind her of little art doll treats or confections for the soul.  Sometimes her figures are light and sugary sweet and others, especially around Halloween, can be heavy on the molasses and a bit dark and wicked.

Jeanette's primary medium is paperclay, and spun cotton.  She will usually sculpt the head out of paper clay and then create a wire armature that she wrap with string and spun cotton to form the shape.  She uses a variety of other materials as well including vintage fabrics, ribbons, trims, buttons and baubles. She frequently paints her own fabric designs on the doll’s clothing and loves vintage fashion, which shows in much of her work whether it be a 1920s vampires, and 18th century rococo girl, or a 1950s sea queen.

Jeanette participated as an artist for the first time at the Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween show in Marshall, Michigan in 2024.  She tries to create new art dolls monthly and sells her work on Etsy and BigCartel.

Instagram: @sugarbrightstudio