It is our great pleasure to introduce to you our Event Artist.

Gale Lyons,
Naples, Florida
Now, come on....you didn't think you would get a real peek at the Souvenir Hitty, did you?
Not until the Great Reveal at the Banquet.

 

Our Interview with Gale

1. Name as you would like it displayed including town and State you are from?
Gale Lyons, Naples, Florida

2. Have you ever had classes to teach someone else to carve?
I have not taught others to carve.

3. Do you feel comfortable emailing me a picture of yourself to be displayed with the announcement hopefully with your favorite Hitty?
I’ll see what we can come up with on this one--(and you can see it above--ed.)

4. What & Who first interested you in Hitty?
I had been interested in Bleuette, and that somehow led me to Julie’s Hitty site. I was looking at the photos and spotted a photo of a polymer clay Hitty created by Patricia Ryan Brooks. I was totally fascinated with that photo.

5. How long before you had your first Hitty?
I would say that it was about four months until I had my first Hitty, after seeing the doll mentioned above. Since I made my first Hitty myself and since I had no clue as to how to accomplish that, it took me many months to complete her.

6. Who influenced you to carve?
The way I decided that I would acquire my first Hitty was to carve one. So I guess one might say that Patricia Ryan Brooks was my influence.

7. Do you feel that each of the Hittys you carve have some trait that comes from you.
Well, let me think. Many people have commented that my Hittys have a special sweetness to them. My husband of forty years has always thought of me as being a sweet person, so maybe that is what goes into them.

8. When did you do your first carving?
That first carving, made from a table leg, was created in the summer of 2006.

9. Was it by yourself or using someone else’s pattern?
Sara Cole’s pattern was used as a guide to approximate the proportions.

12. Are there things you hate to do with carving?
I can’t think of anything disagreeable about carving.

13. How many years have you been carving?
I started in the summer of 2006, so that would be about 2 ½ years. (I am responding to these questions in January of 2009.)

14. Have you ever entered any of you Hittys in a show where she was judged?
Just the thought of that makes me nervous!

15. Have you ever meet a Hitty you didn’t like?
I have never met a Hitty I didn’t like. Each Hitty is unique and special. I do favor Hittys with a more finished appearance that shows that a lot of time and care went into their creation. I appreciate Hittys that have a pleasant facial expression.

16. How many Hittys do you own at the present time.
At the present time, I own about 30 Hittys, most of which were carved by me, but there is a sprinkling of Hittys carved by others also.

17. What is the most fun you have with your Hittys.
The most fun for me is when a new Hitty comes to life. When I purchase a Hitty, there is a special anticipation while I wait for her to come in the mail. When I am close to finishing a Hitty that I have created, there is also a very special anticipation about her appearance and general “aura”. It is fun then to try an assortment of outfits on her to see what flatters her the most.

18. Do you have a favorite and why is it your favorite.
My favorites tend to change, but one that I always love is Isabella Grace. To me, she is just so pleasant looking and cheerful. I think I am still trying to make my all time favorite Hitty. Another Hitty that I am very proud of is Hitty Ann, who appears in some of Esther Robertson’s journals.

19. What is the largest Hitty you have ever carved and what is the smallest?
The largest Hitty would be 6 ½ inches and the smallest would be 1 inch.

20. Were you surprised when you were asked to carve our Hitty for us?
I was very surprised when I was asked to be the NCHR artist. I am quite honored to have been selected. It really was a tiny little bubble of a dream that I had thought of…to one day be asked to provide a Hitty for an event. But I just thought it would always be something in my imagination.

21. Do you have any idea of why you were our first choice?
To this day, I have no idea of why I was your first choice. I would quite enjoy hearing all about that! --(Gale was chosen because of the gentle beauty of her Hittys.--ed)

22. What is the most beautiful Hitty you have seen.
I think I would have to say that one of the Hittys by Hanna Hyland was one of the most beautiful Hittys I have seen. I hope that someday I will be able to create a Hitty equal to that Hitty.

23. Where is the farthest you have ever taken Hitty for a vacation.
Well, last May we started out in a rented RV with about six Hittys with New Jersey as a destination. We only got to Ocala, Florida before my husband had serious health problems and landed in the hospital in Ocala for almost a week…not fun. We traveled a lot years ago, but we don’t travel much these days.

Thank you for selecting me as the Hitty artist. I will do my very best to provide sweet little Hittys for each of your participants.