Stacy Leigh

Conquest...

2008-06-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

The above photo is an art model; brilliant and brave, Tia. Who looks to be won over by Jaime "the RealDoll" Anderson. I don't think Tia likes these photos very much....

but I do.

Poupee...

2008-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

...is French for doll- or loosely "love doll".

Yesterday my husband and I discussed a trip to Paris and Monaco in September (my birthday). While in Monaco though, my husband will be attending a horribly dull insurance thingie. Just so you guys know- my husband works for a private hedge fund as an investor. He specializes in financial institutions. Anywhoo he will be very busy and almost totally unavailable while in Monte Carlo. Which is fine with me, because I'll have my camera and a credit card. Besides, we will be staying at the hotel that was in "Oceans 13" starring the delicious George Clooney...

mmm.....George Clooney. Who my husband bears a resemblance to. In fact my husband looks like the love child of Steve Carell and George Clooney. Think about that for a second. He's fucking hot- my husband.

mmm....my husband.

Whoops!! Back to the French.
I am excited to go back to Monte Carlo with my camera. Monte Carlo is where Helmut Newton lived, and loved life. Mr. Newton is of king like status to me. Hell, I would go as far as saying Helmut Newton has a Godlike status, but I am sure you would all think I'm nuts!!! Well, not only was Helmut a fucking photographic genius- he absolutely adored poupees (dolls), but best of all...

...he LOVED RealDolls™!!!!!

I find this uncanny, because I was recently contacted by a lovely woman named Sandra. It turns out Sandra is from a new French magazine called "Park". Somehow, they stumbled across the Realdoll website. Enjoyed my photos, and decided to run a story on my art (I told you I love the French). They're so open minded and have such a zest for the arts...even mine!! I am beyond flattered!!! I am aware that magazines can drop a story at anytime, as evidenced by "Playboy" magazine (which has been sitting on my stuff for a little over a year). But because "Park" magazine is from Paris, I think they will actually run the story.

Cross your fingers for me. After what I am now referring to as, "Amy-Gate '08" (the Amy incident, I sort of blogged about a couple of weeks ago) I need the happy news!!!

Oh, and Happy Fathers Day! Just in case any dads happen to read this shit....

*the above photo is my RealDoll™ Ashley Anderson (face 16, body 7).

Fuck Amy.

Neighbors...

2008-06-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

...mine are fancy!!!

Since I have lived down here, in what might as well be New Jersey. I have seen: Terry Richardson doing a photo-shoot, some random fashion shoot right in front of my apartment and last evening they shot this commercial outside of my building. I must admit- I was a TriBeca hater. I had to be dragged here by the husband kicking and screaming. I never wanted to live down here. Especially since my husband lived less then ten blocks from here with his first wife- it pissed me off.

I
love
Chelsea.

I decided to tough it out in a loft in TriBeca for the next 18 months, in Manhattans version of "the sticks". Alright, so I am admitting right here and now I was wrong.

TriBeca rocks the biggest balls of them all....

but don't tell my husband I said that.

*the above photos are of Josh, and the crew.

Amy...

2008-06-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

...can suck my proverbial dick.

*the above photos are not of Amy, they are of Daniela Victoria.

Open Book

2008-05-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

By Gnarls Barkley.

The song is off the hook....in fact the whole album 'The Odd Couple', rocks my socks. Toss the Raconteurs into the mix, and I am on the brink of musical orgasm.

I have a lot of retouching to catch up on...I recently did a shoot with a Realdoll and a Realgirl. The model was awesome, seeing as she gave me 110% to make the photos work- and they look amazing!!! I'll post them soon.... On the photographic tip I have so much stuff to tell you- that it's too late to start that dialogue tonight. My next blog entry will have so much to say about where I am with my 'career', because an update is long over due.

sweet dreams...

*the above photo is my Realdoll face Jamie Anderson- shot in the new crib, with copious amounts of natural light.

have a good weekend... I know I plan on having one.

Vacant...

2008-05-19T04:38:00.001-07:00

Your face is pretty, but your character is dirty.

Moving SUCKS!!!

2008-05-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

Friday is the official day, and because of Julianas passing I am a little under pressure. When I am settled- I will go see an exibit at a gallery in Soho where a Realdoll is on display. Visit the gallery website @ www.bitmaps.com and read about it- any doll related news is exciting to me!!!!

I am busy packing...so I've gotta run!

*the above photo is of Daniela V. spanking one of my dolls...nice boobs, huh?

Remember...

2008-05-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

...this poem. It was read by the priest at Julianas funeral yesterday, and it really rings true for everybody.

The Dash
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left.
(You could be at "dash midrange.")

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?

*the above photo is Catie Lee looking like fine art- which Juliana loved.

R.I.P.

2008-04-27T05:55:00.001-07:00

After a 16 year battle with breast cancer, the beautiful Juliana has passed away. We will miss you dearly.

I've got nothin'...

2008-04-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

-I found Bob Jamiesons email address, and wrote him, now we'll find out if he's full of shit.

-I emailed www.Nerve.com about my doll photography, I am positive but guarded.

-I am in the process of moving, which everybody knows sucks ass! The move day is May 9th...

-My good friend Daniela V. has made her debut in Playboy's Special Editions! Congratulations Honey!!

-I am under a tremendous amount of stress. ugh, stress.

*the above photo is my newest doll face, named Hana Samoza (she is the "Nika" face at www.RealDoll.com)

Dirty Old Men...

2008-04-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

...are okay in my book. Right now I am highly interested in hearing from Bob Jamieson. The funny thing is, he offered his card- and I declined.

Why?

Because I am a fucking idiot.

The second we walked away my husband said, "why didn't you take his card?". I thought I was playing hardball- ugh. What a tard I am. The thing is, I couldn't walk back and take it- I would've felt like an idiot (but not nearly as big of an idiot as I feel like right now).

I know, I know...I am a fool.

I will play this over and over in my head- but I'm sure that every single one of you has probably made an equally foolish mistake in your own lives.

And knowing that- is what's keeping me off the ledge!!!

*The above photo is Realdoll Daniella Deville, shot in natural light.

Tribeca...

2008-04-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

...is where we are moving. Not my first choice- fuck, it's not even my tenth choice (I am partial to Chelsea). But one thing we have learned, is that my husband will only live in Tribeca, and I will only live in a loft. A stalemate.

So here we are.

From Murray Hill to Tribeca.

We've handed off a check for a loft that the Real Estate agent and I have coined "The Jellybean Loft". Since this is no time to buy a home in nyc, we have decided to take an eighteen month lease to rent the loft. I am in deep love with it- but remain a skeptic. Because after all, this is nyc where nothing is set in stone. We are scheduled to move in early May...I am positive about it but guarded.

Since my last blog entry, I have been getting out there and trying to market myself. Here are the highlights:

-I marched into a magazine where I know the Editor, and plopped my portfolio down. The editor told me they are going to work with me. Yay! I am a bit skeptical- I'm Positive but guarded.

-James Graham introduced me to Eric Kroll at a gallery in the East Village. While we were there, some accountant performed the worlds lamest rap songs- I think he might have been on Ecstacy- because no lucid person would humiliate themselves the way he did.

-I signed up for two classes at ICP. One is telling stories with a photograph. Having studied film production at NYU in my youth- I learned all about symbolism...but telling an entire story in one frame was never the goal like it is with still photography.

-My husband and I met the semi retired President/CEO of RCA records in a restaurant, gave him my card and told him I am available to shoot anybody he wanted. He loved my work and assured me I would be hearing from him very soon. So yeah-I'm still a skeptic (positive but guarded).

I am bent on success.

*The above photo is Domo, shot in all natural light.

Polaroids.....

2008-03-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'll miss them.

It seems as though the technology has yet to be licensed to another company. This kind of worries me a little bit. Polaroids remind me so much of the 70's, it would be tragic to see the demise of them. Remember "Body on Tap" shampoo and "The Weeble Wobble Treehouse"?

Well I do- and I would hate to see the beloved Polariod go the way of the Dodo bird.

*the above composite is some of my doll polaroids, sorry for the shit quality but I don't have a scanner- so that is literally a photograph of them.

Love......

2008-03-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

eludes me right now......

I feel like a dot.

*The above photo is of Stella and her tuft.

happy endings........

2008-03-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

....or not.

I can't decide. My husband went for his umpteenth massage and came home with his undies on inside out.

what the fuck?

I told my Dr. about it during casual conversation, and he said the first thing he does when he gets a massage- is get naked. I can't quite get a grasp on this concept. I don't know- maybe I am crazy jealous or something but last time my husband got a massage, I did a crotch check and noticed there was oil pooled around his balls....

I'll admit I am literally laughing as I write this- but at the same time I am really perturbed by it too. I suppose I will go get some naked massages, just to level the playing field.

*the above photo is Ebony, she is blessed with awesome boobs.

"Fanny Burp"

2008-02-28T01:32:00.000-08:00

The cutest name for a fart I have ever heard! I almost love it as much as I love the term "coin purse" for testicles.

Anyway, I thought I would list my top ten favorite movies (that I can remember right now) They are listed in no particular order, just posting them as I think of them.

My Absurd Top 10 Movies list:

1. The Usual Suspects

2. Freeway

3. Heathers

4. American Beauty

5. Seven

6. Menace to Society

7. Requiem For a Dream

8. Boiler Room

9. SLC Punk

10. Hair

*The above photo is the sweet Stella, photographed in all natural light (different for me).

I am Ridiculous....

2008-02-09T23:57:00.000-08:00

It's true.

I was invited by the International Center for Photography (I.C.P.) to submit my work for an exhibition.....but I missed the deadline. I fucking hate myself for it, and cried a river over my irresponsible behavior. On the flip side- my former instructor, has sent me information for a photography contest she thinks I should enter.

I'm not that good.

But I'll enter- you never know, maybe I'll get honorable mention. I feel a little stale in my photography lately- but you knew that from my recent blog entries! I am slowly coming back from a debilitating bout with the black dog (depression) and shooting is lagging behind. I have only been shooting once or twice a week....not great for somebody obsessed with every aspect of photography.

I have about ten rolls of film to get developed, I have to submit for this contest, and lastly I have to follow up with the publishers I sent my mock up to. I have another publisher that is interested in publishing the book- but I don't want them......

I want Tashen.

....I told you I was ridiculous.

*The above photo is Nicole, she is an angel.

Scoots McGee....

2008-01-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

...and me. On an emotional roller coaster. Stop the ride, I don't want to feel anything.

Nothing.

The above photo is a pic I took for www.RealDoll.com that they never used- why waste it.

24 Hours to Go...

2008-01-07T14:07:00.001-08:00

I wanna be sedated.

Sex for a doughnut...

2008-01-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

In my defense I was PMSing and in dire need of chocolate. I thought it was a clever ploy on my hubbys behalf and I took him up on the offer- but decided to do it sans doughnut.

I have been in a vortex of editing and not shooting at all. Pair that with the holidays (which I derive absolutely NO pleasure from) and this can trigger a full blown funk. Which it has. I have been so anti social and introverted as of late that it's disturbing to me. I come from a long line of loonies, and pray constantly that I don't go off the deep end.

Recently my favorite uncle has moved back to NYC after living in California for over twenty years. Having not seen him in awhile, I have determined that he is one step from becoming an eccentric homeless person. My husband was actually scared of him when he met him for the first time, two weeks ago. To be honest, I find it all very very sad....he used to be a Doctor, but began to lose it- eventually his wife left with their two children and shortly after that he had a stroke. He is not the only one on my moms side of the family with some form of mental illness. My moms uncle Henry lived in a Penthouse in the Waldorf for years, one room in his apartment was devoted to hundreds of birds. I remember the back of his head was flat, and I always assumed that was why he was crazy. My Aunt has been on lithium for years and is quite scary, my mom is by far the most normal of the bunch- but even she isn't without issues. The good news (for me anyway) is that my fathers family was normal.....so I only have a 50% chance of losing my fucking mind.

Have you ever awoke in the morning, looked at your reflection and thought, "You again?". Well this is how I've been feeling a lot lately. I am losing confidence in my photographic abilities. I am in the dumper, and finding solace in Becks song "loser".

I hope the tides change soon.

Oh, and my last blog entry was inspired by a good friend who is going through a tough time. My heart goes out to him.

To Whom it May Concern........

2007-12-20T07:37:00.000-08:00

"By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying-
Lady, make a note of this:
One of you is lying."

-Dorothy Parker

*The above photo is of me, shot by the brilliant Gary Breckheimer

California......

2007-12-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

Is where I'll be for the next five days. Shooting fodder for a website I adore. I'll be in a doll lovers paradise. You can just smell the silicone, can't you?

I can.

? and !

2007-10-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not suprised. Geraldo cancelled. Supposedly it was in favour of the California wildfires. I can't say I blame him.....although the cynic in me believes it's because they couldn't get an owner who has a relationship with their doll.

I really wonder?

Let me take a poll.....

Do you think it was the former or latter of the two reasons?

I vote the latter- but we've established that I am a cynical cunt.

pun:

Freak on a Leash....

2007-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

yep.

I have been retreating into myself lately, shooting my two newest Realdoll faces. There's face 15, which I have named Jaime and face 16, I now call Ashley. I hate when I get stuck in a 'bout with depression....but those new doll faces sure did make it pass quickly!

So tomorrow at the crack of dawn i am to be photographed by the uber talented artist Gary Breckheimer. If you aren't familiar with his art- he photographs nudes in public. Generally wacky and always brilliant...I was FIENDING to be a subject for him! Well tomorrow is my opportunity to stand naked, in public, in New York City!!! WOOO fuckin' HOOO!!!!!!! Scary and exciting all at once.

While I was walking back from Soho last night, I got a call from Abyss (in case you have a shit memory: Abyss makes the Realdoll...duh) about the Geraldo Rivera Show on Fox News. It seems that because of the movie, 'Lars and the Real Girl' Geraldo feels the need to investigate the relationship between dolls and their owners. I am almost certain he will try to put a sensational spin on the discussion, but I am nothing like Lars. In fact- not one doll owner that I know of, actually believes their doll to be real- the men who do have relationships with their dolls would NEVER go on the Geraldo show. I don't blame them- they are constantly ridiculed. It's live, I'm a little worried about the outcome- but....

Whatever.

I'm doing it. Not for self promotion, but because I genuinely adore dolls!

Always have, always will.

The above photo is the stunning Nerlande and her fabulous nipple, check out her blog- the link is to the right. The title is a song from Korn.

Quoted by the Associated Press......

2007-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

'LARS' movie shines light on RealDolls

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
Thu Oct 18, 8:02 AM ET

SAN MARCOS, Calif. - A dozen headless female bodies hang from industrial metal hooks in the center of the room. To the left are a table of plastic faces, awaiting makeup. To the right, a stack of silicone molds ready for the next order of life-sized love toys.

Normally reserved for private play, these high-end, anatomically correct dolls are getting big-screen exposure with the recent release of "Lars and the Real Girl," an offbeat, surprisingly chaste comedy about a lonely introvert (Ryan Gosling) and Bianca, the silicone object of his affection.

Bianca, a freckle-nosed brunette, was born just east of San Diego at Abyss Creations. The 11-year-old company that makes RealDolls will ship 400 dolls to the U.S. and abroad this year — at upward of $6,500 each.

RealDolls can be actresses, lovers, photo subjects or companions. Customers can choose from 10 body types, 16 faces and 17 hairstyles to create their dream girl. They specify skin tone, hair and eye color, makeup palette and nail-polish shade. The dolls have interchangeable faces ($500 each), so with the pull of some Velcro and the flip of a wig, she's like a whole new gal.

They're made from soft silicone that takes two days to cure to a somewhat flesh-like feel. With jointed skeletons they're entirely poseable — "They move in the same places people move," company spokeswoman Bronwen Keller says — but they can't stand up on their own. They range in height from 4'10" to 5'7" and weigh 75 to 115 pounds. There is also a male doll, "Charlie," who stands 5'8" and weighs 130 pounds.

The artists who spend about 80 hours crafting each doll all started out in the Halloween industry, says creative director and chief executive officer Matt Krivicke, 36. Before working with RealDoll, he made Halloween masks. (O.J. Simpson was his most popular.)

For many doll owners, and for Gosling's character in the film, the dolls are more like companions, each with her own personality and presence.

"She looks like a person," says Rob McKay, 55, a writer who owns two dolls, Lily and Eden. "Even though she's not a breathing person, psychologically you feel like someone is with you. They're like a balm for loneliness or aloneness."

McKay and other doll owners, who share their stories and photos online at DollForum.com, compare the life-size ladies to "teddy bears for adults."

"That's where she's done the most good, reducing the feeling of solitude," McKay says, adding that he prefers intimacy with a live partner but hasn't had a girlfriend since 2001. "Just having her there to hug or just to have somebody close by, even though it's not, obviously, a warm body."

A member of DollForum.com who goes by the name Doll Luvr says his doll "is far more than just an expensive sex toy."

"She sleeps with me, watches TV with me, sits at the table and has coffee with me," he writes. "Just having a female shape laying next to me in bed is very comforting."

Gosling's character gets emotional, but never physical, with Bianca. But whereas Lars is delusional and believes the doll is alive, most doll owners "know where to draw the line," McKay says.

The dolls "inspire imagination," he says. "You put what you think into the doll, so you're projecting part of yourself onto this inanimate creature and making her seem more lifelike."

Stacy Leigh, 36, a married photographer who lives in New York, uses her two RealDolls as photo subjects. Both are petite and "could fit in all my clothing, same shoe size and everything," she says, noting that one doll has a more curvaceous figure. ("The one with the big boobs is the sluttier of the two," she says.) Leigh owns six faces and more than 30 wigs and divides her time between shooting real models and shooting the dolls. She staunchly defends her fellow doll owners.

"Most guys just need it because they just want to feel somebody in the bed next to them, even though it's not a real person," she says. "I feel bad for those guys."

Doll owners tend to be "older men with disposable income," Keller says, adding that the dolls are also popular with couples and artists. RealDolls have been used in movies, music videos and by a forensic studies program as models in sex-crime scenarios, Keller says.

Chicago-based artist Amber Hawk Swanson had a doll made in her exact likeness as part of a multimedia art project. The 27-year-old says she didn't anticipate the relationship she would form with Amber Doll.

During the nine months it took for her doll to arrive, "I really did picture her as real," Swanson says. "Not that I imagined her walking around my house, but I just couldn't wait. I just imagined cuddling up with her."

Swanson is continuing her art project, but she now has a live romantic partner who's "thankful that I've moved past the time when I pictured my life with this doll and not with a human."

She says doll owners can identify with "Lars and the Real Girl," which she describes as "a movie starring a RealDoll that's true to the way many people interact with their dolls: in a partnership way."