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Many years later my mother asked me to take lessons with her to learn how to make a porcelain doll. A few modern reproductions later I was hooked! Something important was happening as I crafted those dolls; I became aware not only of how each sculptor perceived human anatomy but also of the 'soul' each doll seemed to possess. This was something I'd never seen in 'store-bought' dolls. I purchased a Contemporary Doll magazine and saw more dolls from some of these same artists as well as my early heroes Paul Crees and Peter Coe. In 1994 I moved to an English country village and after settling in, tried my hand at sculpting. It was three years later that I had my first award-winning doll and I have won top international awards each year until 2004 when I stopped entering competitions.. Amongst the awards are best of show (professional) at the KM Productions convention in California in both 2002 and 2003. I continue to create dolls in porcelain because I feel there is so much unexplored potential in this tried and proven material as a medium. Fired paper using porcelain as the clay base is my current interest. It has a different texture from the normal use of porcelain and accepts paint differently. I like to portray a 1920's-1930's long slender elegant look which would have suited my grandmother had she not lived a difficult life in the 'dust bowl' with a family of seven children. Since I moved to England I have become acutely aware of the cultural behavior of American society and how we perceive ourselves and how other cultures perceive us. These differences are promoted through our dolls. I want my dolls to reflect my American attitudes and a way of life Americans expect and strive for. In addition to various exhibitions, conventions, and speaking engagements, I was chairman of the Southern Belles chapter of the Global Doll Society 2002-2003. The chapter has 75 members. I have written articles for several publications and am proud to be a member of ODACA and the BDA. Life just keeps getting better! Linda Claire Willins |
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I
was born in Maryville, Missouri where I lived until my family moved to Iowa when
I was seven years old. Eventually, I attended the University of Iowa and
studied studio arts. Then I moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where I received a
four-year scholarship at the College of St. Catherine (part of the University of
St. Thomas) in studio arts. It never occurred to me that one day I would turn
my artistic talents to doll-making.