Claire Taylor

 Interview by

MacPherson Arts & Crafts

1. Where are you from and where do you live now?
I am from Jamaica, and I have lived in South Fl, USA for 39 years.

2. Have you always been interested in dolls?
I have always been interested in dolls, When I was a little girl I made clothing for my dolls and always had my favorite dolls close to me.

3. When did you first become interested in sculpting?
I started sculpting as a little child, I started making dolls in 1981, and started sculpting and molding porcelain dolls in 1985.

4. How did you first encounter reborn dolls?
I used to sculpt polymer clay OOAK dolls after 1989 and in 2006 when I was looking at dolls on eBay I found reborn dolls.

5. Have you sculpted dolls from the time you started sculpting, or
did you start off with something else? I used to sculpt portraits in clay before I started sculpting dolls.

6. How long have you been sculpting?
I have been sculpting dolls since 1985, so its been 34 years of sculpting dolls. but before that I sculpted little things, and portraits of people. i did my first portrait in 1980.

7. What medium do you use to sculpt your babies with? Now, I sculpt with polymer clay, but in the past I have used ceramic clay also, porcelain clay, oil based reusable clays and even epoxy resin clays.

8. What inspires & motivates you to sculpt?
I enjoy sculpting, I love to create new faces in clay, I love to see the faces come to life. I love to see how a new doll comes together and how closely I can imitate real babies.

9. Do you sculpt full time & do you have other hobbies?
I sculpt and make dolls full time and I also have other hobbies, I also collect dolls, make soap and enjoy cooking. I am also interested in health and love to read about health, I practiced nursing also for many years.

10. Do you only sculpt for kit production or do you do custom ~
portrait orders too?
I sculpt for kit production, I make silicone dolls, I sculpt portraits of faces I find interesting, but I don't do custom portraits, I prefer to be free to create whatever inspires me.

11. When did your first kit come out and what was the baby's name?
The first kit I made was Alyssa, in 2009.

12. How many kits have you produced to date?
I produced 12 vinyl kit editions.

13. Do you have a list of names of all of your kits you have
produced as we would love to have an archive directory for your sculpts?
Olivia, Alyssa, Jayden, Taylor, Abygayle, Ayden, Jessie, Zasha, GabyGail awake, GabyGail Asleep, Dwayne Awake, Dwayne Asleep.

14. Which baby of yours has been your all time favorite and why?
It’s a toss up between Jeanine, and Amelia. I seem to gravitate to sleepers

15. Do you plan to continue sculpting babies for kits?
Yes, I am working on a Kit right now..

16. How do you feel about the reborn doll industry? What excites
you and what upsets you?
I love reborn dolls, I am happy when I see so many new faces. I love to see the kits completed by various artists to see how different the same kit can look. I am disappointed about how many kits I see copied and used to make other kits and silicone dolls. I feel bad for the artists who put so much int creating new babies from a lump of clay and then have to watch someone else benefiting from their hard work.

17. How do you feel about the progression of the art of reborning
over the past 10 years?
I love the progress towards kits that are more and more realistic. I love the way the features change to accommodate collectors desires.

18. Do you think that this industry has a long term future or do
you think its just a fad that will blow over?
I don’t know about longevity, because I saw the porcelain doll market die basically form an artists point of view because of illegal copies and being mass manufactured and marketed. It makes me curious about what is in the future for reborn dolls, especially since I am seeing a lot of the trends repeating with illegal copies and so many similar kits.

19.What are your plans and hopes for the future?
I will always make dolls. I really enjoy it. I might slow down as time goes by because of life’s limitations, but I find comfort in making dolls, so I will continue to make them as long as I physically can. Even if the industry changes and it is not possible to sell dolls any more, I will continue to make dolls for myself because I started making dolls for myself because when I started making dolls i did so because couldn't afford to buy dolls I really loved, but after making dolls for me and sharing them I found out other collectors like my dolls also.

20. Do you have something new in the works?
Yes, I am working on a new doll kit, I have a few heads I already sculpted, and I am working on the limbs. I just need to choose which one to produce first.