FOR THE KIDS : Dolls Provide a Slice of Cultural History : Valentina Solo, 81, of Russia has been making the mannequins most of her life.

The dolls made by Valentina Solo are hardly the sort you would find in a store. Sure, she has stitched a Disney-like Sleeping Beauty doll and cherubic dolls from other countries, but how about the evil-eyed Ivan the Terrible doll?

Her doll collection, now on display at the Conejo Valley Art Museum, is a slice of cultural history. She has Marie Antoinette outfitted in a silk gown of the day, along with two Elvis dolls--one as a svelte teen idol and a later, pudgier version.

But the 81-year-old Solo’s own history is as interesting as her dolls. She grew up in Russia, made a daring escape from the country during desperate times when food was scarce, and eventually made a career out of her doll-making.

Solo, who lives in North Hollywood, is visiting her brother in Russia while her dolls are on display until May 15. Her daughter, Tanya George, described her mother as a can-do woman of incredible determination.

“She is a tough lady,” said George, of Woodland Hills. “She came to America and thought this is paradise--and she had three jobs and three children.”

Solo’s artistic talent shone as a child in Russia. She made a doll for her sister out of scraps, meticulously painting the face. Soon she made dolls for neighbors in exchange for bits of rice and bread for her family.

At the age of 19, she fled Russia with a girlfriend, walking five days in the mountains until they reached Iran, George said. There she made a successful living selling her dolls.

She married her Russian husband in Iran and they moved to the United States with their three children in 1958. (A daughter, Natalie Oliver, lives in Thousand Oaks.)

She took a factory job, and within a year she had started a school in East Los Angeles where she taught Russian. After she closed the school, she went to work expanding her doll collection, which now exceeds 100.

Each doll takes one to three months to make, George said. They stand three to four feet tall and are wired throughout--even the fingers and hands--so that they can be bent into any position.

In a museum bulletin about the exhibit, Solo is quoted: “When I am making dolls, I do not think of it as doll-making, but making people.”

Solo has carefully researched the clothing and costumes of the dolls. Many are lavishly adorned with beadwork, jewelry, plumes and colorful fabric. The detail is impressive--right down to the hair sewn on Elvis’ chest.

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For the families who do art together, Oxnard’s Carnegie Art Museum is offering another family workshop sponsored by Mervyn’s on Saturday. Local artist Kim Kaiser will be leading this one, titled “Color Mystic,” which ties in with the current exhibit, “The Mystical in Art.”

The workshop runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the museum, 424 S. C St. The cost is $3 for non-members and $2 for members. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an older family member or friend. For information, call 385-8179.

The museum has another freebie for families on Sunday. Admission is free from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sculptor Len Evans will demonstrate his recycled and metal artwork.

Details

* WHAT: Valentina Solo’s Dolls of the World collection.

* WHERE: Conejo Valley Art Museum, 193-N N. Moorpark Road (in Janss Mall near Sears), Thousand Oaks.

* WHEN: Museum hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Exhibit runs through May 15.

* FYI: For parents of young children, this is a no-touch exhibit.