Sharon Blaine Turner is an award winning American Doll Artist raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in upstate South Carolina. Her creations bring to life the whimsical imagination familiar in fairytale and folklore, but with the personal addition of a country upbringing in the South, rich with a heritage in the arts and crafts, growing to evoke wholly new unique visions of grandeur. From the tiniest hand-painted details to the hand-sewn fabric accouterments, her craftsmanship tells a story filled with a soft, friendly magic that will whisk you away into dream worlds that exist parallel to our waking consciousness. Like a fairy godmother, Sharon puts a spell on us all and her creations become like guides that’ll grab a hold of us at the strike of midnight, in order to expand our idea of what can be possible. The sparkle in each doll’s green sapphire eyes denoting the potential available, with a little belief in magic.

These magic friends come in all shapes and sizes, from 6-inches to 5-feet, with jointed limbs. They are perfect as an elf on the shelf or a gnome in the garden or a witch to invite to your seance and a fairy princess to lead your Canterbury legend. A divine blossom of color, frizzy hair, and flagrant personality molded out of the crescent moon’s ether to breathe new life into your adventures. Sharon’s dolls are companions that keep the dream going into daytime.

Her work has received attention from a wide span of audiences. She won 1st place 4 years in a row in the mid 2000s at the North Carolina State Fair for soft sculpture. She had honorable mention in the North Augusta Springfest Art Competition in 2013 and was the featured artist at Hard Candy Christmas art/craft show in Cullowhee, NC in 2018. She continues to exhibit her work and compete around the country. Sharon’s Imagination beholds an exquisite manifestation of life given wings and the spirals of pomp and circumstance that are ours to play with.

by Marshall James Kavanaugh, 2020