Jana Seven: Stories Drive the Dolls

Jana Seven's journey into doll-making is a captivating tale of passion and creative drive. From her early childhood days spent doodling on office paper to her illustrious career as a children's book illustrator, Jana's art has always been a part of her life.  

The transition from illustration to crafting one-of-a-kind Rag and Bone Dolls stemmed from a burning desire to create something tangible and to exercise bringing the sweet beings that live inside her head to life. Jana uses the rawest materials, like twine, sticks, clay, wood, and antique fabric to involve a feeling of timelessness. 

Jana finds inspiration in eerie places, like an abandoned subway, ghost towns, and seaside cemeteries. However, her intent is to never scare anyone. All of her dolls have loving souls and driven by their stories. Other inspirations include folk music, odd stories from history, and musing on mortality.  

Mentions: 

• Darksome Art & Craft Market: https://www.darksomecraftmarket.com/
• Dogtown, MA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogtown,_Massachusetts
• Morbid Anatomy: https://www.morbidanatomy.org
• Mutter Museum: https://muttermuseum.org
• Provincetown Smallpox Cemetery (MA): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/provincetown-smallpox-cemetery
• Rochester Subway: https://www.rochestersubway.com/rochester_subway_history.php
• Tarantella music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantella 

Visit Jana’s website: https://www.janaseven.art