Opposite: A head mold
is made by pouring
plaster over a plasticine
sculpture. Once the
head is created from the
mold, Lovik adds eyes,
lashes, brows, hair,
teeth and tongue. Then
it is a matter of checking
the mechanics, as he is
doing with the wooden
dummy Maynard (bot-
tom middle and right).
any money for a year.” Over the 16 years
he’s been at it, Lovik has experienced ups
and downs. “Five years ago the business
was dead.” he notes. “A lot of people
closed up shop—which was better for me!
Now there’s a younger generation coming
in. Parents are buying dummies for their
children’s entertainment. A lot of teachers
use them as a communication tool as well.”
Lovik has also met some interesting
characters (to say the least) along the way.
“There’s definitely some crazy people in
this business,” he says, laughing as he tells
the story of one customer who would
call and only speak to Lovik through his
Above: Lovik sits in his
studio with a finished
Boxcar Bob. While
some dummies can take
as little as three weeks
to make, others can take
up to tw o months, de-
pending on what the cli-
ent asks for.
inserts it into a hollow body fashioned from
wood, fabric and leather. “It’s definitely an
odd art form,” he remarks.
Working by himself has helped Lovik
learn how to do anything and everything.
“I’ve given up trying to train people,” he
says. “I’ve gone through seven apprentices.
I’d love to make 40 figures a week like my
dad did, but it comes down to the guilt I’d
feel knowing [the workers] wouldn’t make
dummy. “It took me a little while to figure
out why his voice always sounded odd,”
he says, noting that this is just one of many
tales he could tell. “I think a lot of people
use their dummies as a way to communicate
what they are afraid to say.”
The expertise he has acquired as well as
his flexible schedule allows Lovik to pursue
another love—music. “I always had the de-
sire to be a professional musician,” he says.
“Puppet-making is a casual form of art for
me. There’s no massive pressure. That’s the
wonder of this business. I’m able to pursue
what I really love while still doing some-
thing I love.”
As a sole proprietor who works alone
in his studio, Lovik finds that music—play-
ing guitar with a band—also provides a social
outlet, as does bartending at a local pub.
“This allows me to be around people,” Lovik
says. “When I catch myself talking to my-
self, I know it’s time to pick up some extra
shifts at the bar.” +
lovikspuppets.com
june/julyio american craft 031
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