"FOREWORD"

"Special note: Aboriginal Doll Work-Story"

1990 JABRO Copyright

Following are some impressions and interpretations by the artist JABRO © about her own created lifelike "Aboriginal toddler-girl doll with soul", made out of wax and then cast by JABRO in "liquid wood", ©.

"As a rational thinking person, I prefer not to BELIEVE IN THINGS only, but try to KNOW all about them. Because of this I was occupied over years with religion, classic and modern psychoanalysis, the science about brain surgery, the science of return from death to life, telepathy and paranormality.

Indeed, their people believe that those of them, with the gift of understanding of supernatural phenomena, are possessing magical powers.

That can be absolutely true, but as mentioned, I personally prefer in all things of life not only to believe, but to have provable facts to deal with! 

So, among others, I am very much interested in the explanations and facts of the science of magical phenomenology.  

Coming from there, a number of interesting scientific books about science of neurology, psychology and psychoanalysis, have been written by the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) the originator of the science of psychoanalysis.

Interestingly enough for me, the Freudian themes are somehow connected with the multifaceted themes of magical phenomenology despite denied by him and most of the other scientists of his branch.
However, in one of his books, published with the title "TOTEM AND TABOO", he has described the irrevocably principles of cause and effect and their chain-reactions of humans’ behaviour rooting in the (spiritual/magical) phenomenon of the still "unexplored" unconscious mind.

Thus, for my understanding there is a possibility (not to be ruled out totally) that the genuine and highly gifted "DNA-Artist", ©, is being used by the provably existing spiritual world to act as their tool (or medium) to be heard and/or seen (in one or the other way) through his/her referring kind of masterworks.

After decades of ignoring or denying those sorts of mystical and magical eventualities, at last, I must confess in my late sixties that most of my masterworks have developed during their entire working process into an astonishing spiritual direction, which, originally, was not planned by me, at all, but on that extraordinary level of humans’ unconscious mind!  

In other words: Before I have started with my masterworks’ subjective-sublimated realization, they have been planned by me for many weeks and months (*) into their entire and smallest details, in any respect, but, at last, somehow they turned out differently in one or the other way.
(* By thoughts and with aid of many sketches)

Actually, some of Freud’s followers have specialised in the more mind- influencing and mind-forcing subjects of telepathy, hypnosis and telekineses, and are teaching those sorts of subjects at universities in some European Eastern-Block countries, (*) as well in the USA, where phenomenology is taught as a subject of science. (*)
(* Especially in regard of distanced and psychologically led warfare)

(* The perception of phenomenology is described in many interesting books. One of them, with the title "PSI", is very recommendable. (*))

Coming from there, the academic science discovered too that humans are unable to use the given 100% capacity of their brain power, but only around 30%!

So it is absolutely wrong to say: What I can't see, hear, or taste, is just not existent.
With the capacity of our still unused 70% of brain power, we probably will be able in the future to see behind things in and around us and the, yet, supernatural and super-sensory unrealities become so real, like our daily bread and milk.
Then, we will be able to KNOW and not only to BELIEVE!

But at present, we are still doomed to TRY to understand what is really going on, which not necessarily means, that we are always successful by those "exploring" activities!
No doubt at all, "BE OR NOT TO BE" - that's, at last, not THE question, because it doesn't matter to be physically, mentally, spiritually, or intellectually alive or dead as this planet will be rotating (maybe eternally) around the sun - surely best - without MAN (-kind) since proven throughout its history being clearly destructive-suicidal and aggressive-murderous.   

Other worded: We are nothing, but only dust - and at this point of view, the religious believing, but in a relatively (un-) real sense of life and death, is STARTING!   

This foreword was necessary, for better understanding the special relationship with my Aboriginal toddler-girl masterwork, because I don't see only a doll in it, but a spiritual totem of a human race, called Australian Aboriginal.
The interesting occupation with the creation of this special  kind of artistic expression has led to FOUR different mystical experiences, I never before was faced with!

For me, as a professional academic but "DNA-Artist", ©, it is no problem, at all, to create faces in clay, respective gypsum, or any other materials.
In fact, that’s for me one of the easiest businesses of artistic expressions, because already with fourteen years of age, (*) I created at home on only three sequent afternoons after high school "out of the nothingness" and without any support, an excellent two-dimensional portrait (*) of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) the famous German composer.

(* 1957, still played with dolls)
(* Out of clay in mask/relief formation)

Again, this masterwork was created by me at home with aid of sharpened matches only and an old rusty kitchen-knife, but without any previous training in that material and absolutely none experiences, at all, in the subject sculpture, respective mask and relief!
(To discover @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO’S Sculptures", thumbnail first portrait from left hand side to right hand side, dated 1957.)  
So, logically, from the very first beginning, I haven't had any problems with portrait making (or, later on, doll-making) by skilfully reflecting different human races of our World. (*)
(* To discover @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO’S Artist Dolls")

Fortunately, despite many moves in my life at home and abroad, my very first masterwork of a two-dimensional sculpture, the "Wagner Portrait", is still available (cast in gypsum, 1957,) and shown in my own created, very first informative and beautiful PR film of 30 minutes, titled: "JABRO About JABRO ", 1978-1982. (JABRO ©.)

As mentioned, it is also to see on the JABRO Website address
at www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO'S Sculptures", on sculptures’ main page, first line and first masterwork (1957) from left to right, as well section "Multimedia", main page’s first row, first JABRO PR-film, titled "JABRO ABOUT JABRO", (1978 – 1982) from left to right, ©.

However, the very FIRST TIME in my life, (1990), even as a most experienced, proven highly gifted and professional artist, I genuinely was struggling (at the age of forty-seven (47) years!) to create a face, which I can accept from its outfit and from its spiritual expression.

Parallel to the demanding creation of this special artwork having been faced with even as a professional artist, who did this many times, I still had to care for my own beloved children and husband as an unpaid fulltime mum.
This 24/7 fulltime job included the responsibility and duties to perform the daily, very frustrating (never ending) household-chores sensed by me as an endless Sisyphean task. (*)

(* See @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "Family Album", thumbnails "Princess", "Beba" and "Bitzili".

To that time, (1990), those very frustrating, but essential (even unpaid) duties for the growing family have been managed by me already over a period of a quarter of a century without any support, since I was always in the malposition of women-disadvantaging laws and thus unable to create any better lifestyle far above the poverty line!!

Seen from this point of view: Even being an excellent and passionate cook, (*) the shabby marital "ticket-meal", propagated by the Western misogynistic men-societies as an "equivalent value" for the most important job in the world - as to give birth and rise the future of each country in form of the next generation of parents, employers/employees, and taxpayers - must be described as the most brutal scorn slashed into the face of each unpaid-working fulltime mum and each "half-paid working half-time mum"!

(* Since about four years, I photograph daily our meals for documentation and printing purposes. So, I am in the fortunate position to own around four thousand digital colour photos to choose from the best of the best of my self-cooked meals in view of a planned cook-book of mine, which, indeed, will become very special.)  

No doubt, this ancient form of "modern" women’s exploitation (in autocratic western men-societies) is proving retroactive onto the next generation’s welfare - in any respect - and therewith is questioning the progressive future of each of the affected maltreated nations!     

Parallel to this never ending domestic chore, I have worked daily as a mainly unsupported, but suppressed fulltime freelance artist manageable only in day- and night shifts!

Among other disadvantages connected within, such unproductive and unpaid, sick-making household duties have stolen from me too much of my very own and most valuable lifetime, never to be retrieved!
This forever lost spare lifetime must be seen as a form of irrevocable "living death", which has, indeed, to be spent in a more intellectually productive, just better way in any respect – or, at least, to be paid best for like for any other stressful 24/7 job!!  

That means, unfortunately I have been always in lack of genuine equal opportunities, because of my gender!

It’s just a pity that this important, but lost lifetime of mine couldn’t have been better used, such as for the creation and finalising of still more masterworks to be done by me, but in a secure, supporting, understanding and peaceful surrounding only!

Nonetheless, each working day, I repeatedly reserved three to four hours, to create in wax this very special portrait of an Aboriginal toddler girl.

However, during about ten weeks, I was absolutely not satisfied with all my respective artistic activities connected with this portrait thought to become a masterwork and to the same time it should be used as a very special and unique, artistic (collector-) doll "with soul", ©, in a limited edition only!

In the consequence, I discarded my daily work again and again, but certainly didn't want to give up finalising the same in a most excellent and unbeatable manner.

In regard to the mentioned, totally unfamiliar struggling of mine, there could have been one (or more?) reason(s) for.
Maybe the following serves as one of them:

The conservative and traditional Western world of art (I was raised in and have been furnished with a finished fulltime study of six years) has many and different impressions of the MUST-BE functional and purposive concept "Beauty" but all, more or less, are seen from mainly one point of view in a Christian religious-traditional manner, such as:

"MANKIND HAS HAD TO LEARN FROM SCRATCH FOR KNOWING ALL ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS-CULTURAL AND CONSTRUCTIVE-PROGRESSIVE, BUT ALWAYS FUNCTIONAL RULES OF SURVIVAL.
IN THE BEGINNING, THIS HAPPENED WITH AID OF RELIGIOUS FIGURATIVE AND PICTURESQUE ARTISTIC REPRESENTATIONS TO VISIBLY UNDERLINE THE GIVEN SURVIVAL RULES IN AN INSTRUCTIVE AND PURPOSIVELY "BEAUTIFUL" MANNER.  

ACTUALLY, THOSE STRICT RULES HAVE BEEN COMING "INTO BEING" ALREADY DURING MANKIND’S EARLY DEVELOPMENT, (*), UP TO NOWADAYS WESTERN HIGH TECH WORLD OF NUCLEAR (WAR-) THREATS AND DEADLY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.

(* SEE EARLY CAVE-PAINTINGS! ALSO, THESE USEFUL, EVEN STRICT FAMILY- AND SOCIAL COMMUNITY RULES HAVE BEEN INSEPARATELY CONNECTED, PRESERVED AND FURTHER DEVELOPED IN GOOD WORKING, RELIGIOUS FAMILY-CIRCLES AS THE PROVEN, BUT PURPOSIVE FOUNDATION OF EACH SOCIETY’S POSITIVE AND PROGRESSIVE GROWTH INTO ITS RESPECTIVE POWERFUL AND WEALTHY, AT LEAST, JUST LIVEABLE FUTURE!)

By the way, it is not a CONTRADICTION, when I advert that the objective understanding of the multilayered concept "BEAUTY" can be learned only with aid of the respective and subjective-sublimated cognitions. However, those cognitions are naturally dependent on everyone’s personal and thus different development stages. In the end there is a complex of many different recognitional experiences, which, at last, are leading to the essential solidification of one, but multilayered subjective-sublimated understanding regarding the traditional concept "BEAUTY".

Thus, having been spoilt (from an early age on) all those years with permanent artistic success in every respect, (*) I was faced now later in my life with those additional, but for me new kind of experiences regarding the portrait-making of that special, but imaginary Aboriginal toddler-girl.

Nonetheless, even having had to learn toilsomely about new and multifaceted, but most interesting artistic and spiritual aspects and their still unknown rules to follow at the start and during my "creation-story", at last; I did it very well since homogenously developed step by step.

However, such things could happen only in a non-objectifying manner, but in a subjectively sublimated way to be able to learn to understand what BEAUTY really means as an, indeed, independent and multi-faceted subject in any respect.

(* See my masterworks, created without any experiences out of the nothingness at the very young age of fourteen and fifteen years @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO’S Sculptures, thumbnail first row from left to right, 1957 – 1958.)

Even so, I still had problems to give that special artwork of mine its essential soul.
In addition, I had difficulties to get baby-and toddler photos about Aboriginal children, which were (even still in 1990) rarely to discover in books and magazines.

So, in the consequence, once I have asked an Aboriginal mother, to be allowed to photograph her six pretty, black skinned and blonde-haired children, but she denied me the favour.
That happened in Adelaide, South Australia, at the beginning of 1990.

One (of more) probable explanations for this unwillingness facing a photo camera could be that Aborigines believe, the photographing of their small children will bring them bad luck.
Because of this, I could utilize - for doing my job properly - only a few, poor quality photo-prints about children, aged between six to fourteen years, but no toddler- or baby photos of any kind. (*)
(*To see on top and on the photo-collage on the right hand side of the text-block)

By the way: The picture on the photo-collage with the Aboriginal toddler-boy and me was taken in 1990, but around ten weeks later after successfully having finished my Aboriginal toddler-portrait.

So, this very special portrait is a conglomerate of each of these older Aboriginal children, reflected on poor quality prints only.

Of course, after my first struggling to come to term with all those mentioned odds, I then was very successful in bringing the characteristic of each child into my artwork, also to transform the same to a younger toddler face, see photos on top and the text block’s right hand side.

Nonetheless, despite the visibly hard worked for and great success – somehow, deeply hidden inside of my mind, I still was unsatisfied, since having had the uncomfortable feeling that the spirit, or soul of my artwork was missing, by knowing very well having not yet developed the right emotional and spiritual relationship with it.  

Oddly enough, one day, after having studied (again and again) for more than "one thousand and one time" the faces of the children on the few bad prints, at last, I had my SECOND experience with this special artwork of mine, as I suddenly recognized the full life in the eyes of the little Aboriginal girl, aged about eight years, intensively-observing her viewers in a mysteriously detaining way. (*)
(* See photo collage page 2, bottom left).
These lively-fascinating and most spiritually-detaining eyes left me wondering, why I haven't seen before the spirit and magic power of their unusual expression.   

Maybe I have had just a mental block and was blind because of this, but perhaps there was much more behind the scene and behind my intellectual, rational understanding. Who ever knows?

Although, from this very moment on I definitely knew, that the longed for spirit, at last, has entered my masterwork during the last steps of its final completion.

So, after having finally finished my Aboriginal "TOTEM TODDLER- GIRL DOLL WITH SOUL", for the THIRD TIME, I had a very unusual experience with this fascinating magnum opus, like following:

At the end of that day it was finished by me, I had been alone with it in the working room, the sunset was sending its last sun rays through the window (I had not yet switched on the electric light), the doll was lying in my right arm, heavy and tall like a real child of ca. three months and I looked at her, still with a fragment of a tiny, tiny bit of uncertainty, and - suddenly - her dark eyes were lighting up full with life.

At the same moment I felt, for a fraction of a second, an instant scare throughout my body.
But I didn't allow my feelings to prevail, because I was aware that there was a plausible explanation: it just happened that the very last sun rays of the day were horizontally shining through the window and by chance have slightly touched the freshly lacquered, still wet eyes of my toddler-girl doll by warmly reflecting them!

Indeed, a very easy and comprehensive explanation, which hardly gives room for any other thoughts, such as irrational phenomena and other things like that.
Obviously just an accidental, but precisely timed coincidence… or was it??

Then I showed the toddler-girl doll to my family, which liked her very much, but with a deep sigh of relief, in the knowledge that mum and wife would from now on be relaxed again, after many stressful weeks for the whole family involved.

Finally, I have had with this extraordinary masterwork a FOURTH unusual experience.
It happened, when I took for documentation and printing purposes one of many snapshots of my Aboriginal "Totem Toddler-Girl Doll with soul", by suddenly realizing with astonishment the highlight in the middle of her forehead.

Immediately I thought to myself: ... That is, exactly, what I don't want in portrait photography.
But, contrary to my established practice, I nevertheless shot the photo and selected it as my favourite, see photo # 5.

Sure, it is common knowledge that in some of the ancient and today’s high cultures the middle of the forehead is symbolizing the site of supernatural spirits. But on that "shooting day", this knowledge was still underlined with the there positioned highlight, explainable by the strong domed forehead naturally concentrating the light onto this higher located spot of the face... or was it really in that way only???

Nonetheless, at that very special moment, honestly, I haven't thought about those sorts of things, just intended to make ordinary photos of my doll for documentation and printing purposes only.

In the consequence, I just wanted dearly to finish this project now in favour of others, waiting to be started and finished too… But it turned out the other way - why?

So, I’m still wondering, what has enabled me to photograph her on that special day in a way that she expresses too the contraries YOUTH and AGE in one photo only, by symbolizing at the same time INNOCENCE and MATURITY intertwined with WISDOM and IMMATURITY.

(Musing about, happened this subconscious photographical act only as an additional documentation of my many invented JABRO "Contrast-Pairs"?
Probably, but, consciously can’t believe that. If not otherwise, it just was an important spiritual influence from elsewhere pin-pointing on those opposite facts humans have to deal from the very first start of their awakening……. Or was it?)

Now, uncertainty beside, it’s just a matter of fact that my "Totem Toddler-Girl Doll with Soul" has many faces under different light conditions.
(As mentioned, the photo sequences of it have been made by me on the same day, same time and place, but in full sunlight, half-shade, full shade and indirect light.) 
 
However, since everybody is different, people will always see subjective-overlaid diverse expressions (or none at all) in this lifelike and fascinating face – the same with me.

(* During this time (1981-1989) the professionally produced twelve thousand (12 000) artistic colour transparencies have been a documentation of each of my antique items in (up to six) different totalled positions, as well in specific details and other diverse circumstances of decoration and illumination. (#*)
Some of them are to discover @ our website address http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, sections "JABRO’S Art Photo Books" and "JABRO’S Art Photo Calendars".)

Logically, in this special field of artistic expression I experienced again that light and lighting means everything! 

As a professional and artistic photographer, I haven’t been satisfied with the common photography of the Sixties and Seventies regarding the publishing of antique doll- and teddy photos in books and magazines at that time.  

Therefore, already in 1977, I began to sense the photography of my own antique toy collection has to be created in a new way, by solely developing my own inventive JABRO style to this work with aid of indirect lighting.
Then working with an excellent, but exclusively manual (non-digital) camera of a famous company, my photographical endeavours were at times very tricky, but the great success proved me right. (*)

(* As one of many of my samples may serves the beautiful photographic portrait of my own antique doll, where I have used in the inventive JABRO style up to seven indirect lightings for only one photo shot!
To see @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar "JABRO’S Art Photo Calendars", second row: doll portrait calendar from 1985, thumbnail "March", third doll from left hand side to right hand side.)

In addition, I worked with my other, but contrary inventive JABRO style of photography by using in the, totally darkened, photo-atelier as the only light-source the tiny lamp (ca. 0,5 watt) in the doll house to brighten up one of its four rooms with an unique warm light. For doing so I left the lens of my manually operated, famous camera totally open by a waiting-time of nearly ten minutes. Here too, the success of this interesting photographic experiment gave me right!
To see @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar "JABRO’S Art Photo Calendars", first row, Bear Calendar 1990, thumbnail month of ???????)

To that time in 1977, I created too my first artistic photo picture-fact-book for "Children AND Adults", ©, titled "LA BELLE’S GREAT WISH", 1977&1984, ©. (*)

This happened with aid of my own, two elder children and my antique doll collection, as well some of my inventive JABRO "GRAPHICPAINTINGS" (©) pictorially representing my antique dolls in a subjective-sublimated and symbolic way.

In lack of progressive publishers, my worldwide unique and beautiful photo fact-book for "Children and Adults" (©) was printed in 1984 by self-publishing, JABRO ©. (*)

(* To see @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO’S Art Photo Books", thumbnail second row, second book from left to right.)
So, with my inventive style of indirect lighting, and contrary to the traditional way of this genre of photography, my photographed antique dolls are, no more, the dead pieces of a cold, hard material, but have the life-like expression of "body and soul".

Also, my antique teddies are not anymore only dead objects of stuffed, dirty and shabby furry fabric, furnished with stupid and soulless glass eyes, but beautiful personalities, reflecting the respective artist's expression of sublimated "quasi-human" moods, ranging from self-confidence to introversion, from happiness to sadness, and so forth.

They are to discover in my four self-created bestseller calendars (published by a PR-company and also a publisher of calendars*), whereby I proudly did all alone as the entire essential drafts and the time-consuming scene-arrangements, as well the artistic photographs, graphic design-layouts and the whole textual work connected within.
These four best-seller calendars of mine were in lease published by the mentioned companies in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1990, wherewith I am still the © owner. (JABRO ©)

Since all of my bestseller calendars from that time were worldwide unique and extraordinary, it just didn’t surprise that each of them was totally sold out in a few weeks time only! (JABRO, 1990, ©)

Additional note from August 2012:
Interestingly enough, in cooperation with my highly gifted youngest son, (*) together we have created (2005-2007/8) a globally unique and extraordinary WELFARE double-calendar for seniors, 2009 & 2010. (BENJA, 2008, ©)
Not only its digitally-combined photo collages, artistic graphic- designs and layouts were created in a totally new way, but also its technical creations and professionally handling of the newest computer programs!

It was registered as a small (test-) edition in self-publishing, printed in 2008 for the years 2009 & 2010. (*)

(* To see @ http://www.JabroArt.com, navigation bar, section "JABRO’S Artistic Photo Calendars", main page top, titled, "CELEBRATE LIFE – CELEBRATE AGE", 2009 & 2010, as well under its own website address at WWW.BEN-J-A.COM)  

In other words: This beautiful, worldwide unique "BENJA" WELFARE double-calendar for seniors made already history in newest digital high-technology and inventive artistic photo- and graphic-design!

Since this special WELFARE double calendar for 2009 & 2010 as a test-edition already has received exited positive reactions, one can be sure it will be a bestseller too likewise the other four JABRO bestseller calendars. (©)
 
Therefore, the BENJA Team looks for the right publishers regarding more editions with a minimum of one hundred thousand (100 000) copies PER country! 
Alternatively, the © of this and any other JABRO/BENJA products can be purchased to internationally accredited contract-conditions.

(NOTE: In regard of the next edition; the double-calendar’s needed change of the following years (2013 & 2014, or 2014 & 2015) can be done by us, if required.
The respective translations into all the different languages of the European countries and the additionally English speaking nations, such as Australia, Brazil, UK, USA, Canada, etc, should be done by the licensees and/or purchasers of the ©s in search for the best international translation companies.
Otherwise, it can be done too by the most reputable translation office of each country, where high editions should be sold to serve the good purpose of 30 % net proceeds for treasured seniors’ welfare.) (*)

Again, the mentioned JABRO bestseller calendars are to see @ http:// www.JabroArt.com; navigation bar’s section "JABRO'S Artistic Photo Calendars", ©.  

In the consequence, light is the magical power in each of my artistic photographs, as well in my paintings, graphics and sculptures.
They all are sensed in an artistical, pictorial, spiritual and symbolical manner.

Coming from there….It happened some years ago.
At that time I was driving with my family through a forest in South Sweden.
The clock was around 5 PM.
It was August, still summer, but the light was changing suddenly, because of the beginning sunset.

Within this upcoming twilight situation, the view bandied from one second to the other into a surreal, bright light, flashed on with thousands of electric highlights that the trees and their leaves looked stiff and somehow frozen in their movements, because of the change in colours from normal to glare.

Underlining the suddenly impression of this odd "Still Life" scenery, the wind now had died down and the song of the birds had vanished.
There was an instant, deadly silence forcing us keeping quiet too, by staring through the open windows onto this weird and wonderful, never before experienced scenery.

Mysteriously enough, but somehow we all felt to be in a big, surreal theatre with unnatural, artificial stage scenes.
This unexpected and by some means spooky situation lasted only a few minutes, after that the light gently faded into the familiar dusk....

Sure, the northern hemispheres have different light conditions than the southern ones. But was this really the only kind of explanation for that, somehow, odd and fascinating experience?

At Last: Actually, I know that I don't know.

However, one thing I do know indeed that is, this JABRO masterwork of a TOTEM TODDLER-GIRL DOLL WITH SOUL is spiritually alive.

Of course, it will be always a good omen for its owner - contrary to the large and infamous pink diamond, owned by the wealthy & famous people in our western men-societies, which, in fact, brought solely bad luck to each new owner.   

After all, now, you can be exclusively happy with your new and wonderful "JABRO Kid"!

Just have always a great day and a good night sleep.
May God bless you in His Goodness and Grace!

JABRO, 1990, © (& added note of 2012)