My kid could do that! Oh, wait, no. Never mind.

October 16, 2017 1:13 PM

Callum Donovan-Grujicich is an twelve year-old artist who lives in Whitby, Ontario with his parents, his younger brother and his beloved dog Jiggs. From about the time he was learning to walk, Callum showed a strong inclination towards expressing himself through art, preferably in three dimensions. At the age of ten he began experimenting with the creation of art dolls and has been passionately constructing them ever since. They are made from a variety of materials, including paper clay, wire armature, acrylic paint, fabric, stuffing and various found objects. He hand sews all the clothes.
posted by Room 641-A (21 comments total)

...call me cynical, but every time I see something like this I'm waiting for the JT LeRoyesque revelation that one of the parents is an artist and 'helping' out their kid in the background.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:18 PM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

It seems like the dolls are exemplifying emotions and themes that this kid would not have had the relevant experiences to understand or communicate. That said, if I'm wrong, wow/tragic, and also these are extraordinary.
posted by zeek321 at 1:25 PM on October 16, 2017

They're all very... variations on a theme? I could very well believe that he makes them now, but that he's making them based on being shown "how to make dolls" in a very specific way. For "experimenting", there's not much sign of experimentation. They basically all have the same faces.
posted by Sequence at 1:38 PM on October 16, 2017

...call me cynical, but every time I see something like this I'm waiting for the JT LeRoyesque revelation that one of the parents is an artist and 'helping' out their kid in the background.

Back in 2nd grade, I remember there was a boy who was way more of an artist than the rest of us, and he made a clay mask in class one day like the rest of us, except it looked really good. I recall that he submitted it to some local contest and was rejected because they assumed an adult helped him out, which confused us.

Given the billions of kids in the world, it seems reasonable for a few of them to be gifted beyond the skill of their peers.


They're all very... variations on a theme?

Many adult artists do the same thing, sticking to a style where they feel comfortable.


In other words, I'm on the side of celebrating the skills of an individual, hoping it's not an outlet for a trauma he can't communicate, because those are indeed some somber-to-spooky dolls.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:02 PM on October 16, 2017 [18 favorites]

They're all very... variations on a theme? I could very well believe that he makes them now, but that he's making them based on being shown "how to make dolls" in a very specific way. For "experimenting", there's not much sign of experimentation. They basically all have the same faces.

Yeah, where does that 12 year old kid who's only been making dolls for two years get off?
posted by Funeral march of an old jawbone at 2:12 PM on October 16, 2017 [6 favorites]

So "art dolls" are a thing? If so, I heartily approve!
posted by Modest House at 2:55 PM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yeah, where does that 12 year old kid who's only been making dolls for two years get off?

If his work is being put out there as art, it's a valid subject for criticism, right?
posted by thelonius at 3:31 PM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wild guess: his father's a big Tim Burton fan.
posted by davebush at 3:44 PM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

Dark themes in pop culture are very in right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised by someone this age taking inspiration from that.
Anecdotally, I started drawing at age 2, took adult art classes after school starting when I was 8 years old, took figure drawing starting at age 13. Some kids just have the inclination for this stuff. If you add in an obsessive practice and encouraging parents, it’s not that far-fetched to have a genuine prodigy— they’re getting their “10 000 hours” in early.
posted by shalom at 3:55 PM on October 16, 2017 [7 favorites]

Besides, as the researchers whose work the "10,000 hour rule" is based have said repeatedly, "Malcolm Gladwell got us wrong" and 10,000 hours isn't actually relevant.
posted by Lexica at 4:18 PM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think these dolls are very cool and I think this kid is very cool. Go, Callum!
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 4:35 PM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

Besides, as the researchers whose work the "10,000 hour rule" is based have said repeatedly, "Malcolm Gladwell got us wrong"

Probably 'cause Gladwell didn't do 10,000 hours of research before he wrote that book.
posted by clawsoon at 4:45 PM on October 16, 2017 [7 favorites]

Some kids are deep like that though...

It's a talent to be able to communicate emotion thru art, I hope he continues to improve.
posted by subdee at 5:08 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Wild guess: his father's a big Tim Burton fan.

Because of the wires and gears on one of them, my first thought was Brothers Quay. But these still look pretty original and well-crafted.

Also on the JT LeRoy tip, I think it's entirely possible he's just gifted. There are young musicians and athletes and so on who display talent at a young age. He's just picked a unique medium that you don't see often.

Great stuff! thanks for posting.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 11:01 PM on October 16, 2017

posted too soon- to add one thing, his sense of design is very good. He has an excellent eye. Will be interesting to watch that develop.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 11:05 PM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

They're great, but I don't want one on my bedside table...
posted by Segundus at 4:00 AM on October 17, 2017

So "art dolls" are a thing?

Art Doll Quarterly
posted by Segundus at 4:08 AM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

If his work is being put out there as art, it's a valid subject for criticism, right?

fry_squint.jpg
posted by Funeral march of an old jawbone at 5:59 AM on October 17, 2017

See also: Chris Grimley, who does Tim-Burton–esque illustrated childrens' books and got super-popular maybe ten years ago. Ruby Gloom, a goth-styled kids' cartoon. Dave McKean, illustrator of The Wolves in the Walls and the Graveyard Book. And these are just the examples I know of off the top of my head, as someone with no kids and no real interest in gothic art.

I'm not pointing this stuff out to rip on this kid. Just the opposite — I'm saying it's entirely plausible that he makes art in this style because he grew up with it and loves it, not because someone else made him or told him to or put him up to it or imposed their taste on him.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:14 AM on October 17, 2017 [2 favorites]

From his bio: Quirky, whimsical and darkly imaginative, his work has likely been influenced by the many hours he has spent in theatres as an audience member, as well as his voracious appetite for literature.

I don't know a lot about theatre and costume design, but I can see this being a big influence on him. And he's tweleve, not eight; I think that's old enough to show this amount of talent.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:47 AM on October 17, 2017 [3 favorites]

He's 12 years old. All the faces are him. The rest come from his dreams.
posted by mule98J at 11:23 AM on October 17, 2017 [1 favorite]