Mayra Garza

 Interview by

MacPherson Arts & Crafts

1. Where are you from and where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, where I currently reside with my husband of 36 years. We have 3 daughters, one granddaughter and a grandson who we are anxiously expecting due in September.

2. Have you always been interested in dolls?
Yes, I have always loved all kind of dolls. Before being a doll sculptor, I started collecting art dolls, this was 33 years ago. I have amazed an important doll collection of more than 400 dolls so far, including antique dolls, ooaks from some of the most talented contemporary doll artists in the world, reborn dolls, bjds, resin, and porcelain dolls. And of course, my own doll reproductions and some of my prototypes.

3. When did you first become interested in sculpting?
In 2000, when I got diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a debilitating illness that forced me to stay at home most of the time. It was then when I tried for the first time to sculpt a small doll. It was a big surprise for me to find out that I was able to do it. I haven’t stopped sculpting since then, improving my skills with practice.

4. How did you first encounter reborn dolls?
Long ago, when a friend of mine gave me a reborn doll for my collection. At that time reborn art wasn’t as popular as it is now, and the techniques were not as good as they are now.

5. Have you sculpted dolls from the time you started sculpting, or did you start off with something else?
I started sculpting dolls and Baby Jesus’ sculptures at the same time.
I still devote part of my time to sculpt my Baby Jesus’ to reproduce in resin collections every year.
If God gave me the gift of sculpting, I will sculpt Baby Jesus’ as long as my hands and health allow me to do it. ️

6. How long have you been sculpting?
About 20 years.

7. What medium do you use to sculpt your babies with?
Polymer clay

8. What inspires & motivates you to sculpt?
I love kids and babies’ expressions, so any picture of a baby or toddler that I like, inspires me to sculpt it. And something that motivates me deeply, is thinking on all the beautiful dolls that reborners will create after my sculpt is reproduced into a kit.

9. Do you sculpt full time & do you have other hobbies?
Yes, I sculpt full time. Also, along with my daughter Mariana and my Russian partner Oleg, we have a reborn magazine named “The Art of Reborns”, a magazine solely dedicated to reborn art.
So, I am a very busy lady and wife, however, I always find the time for my other hobbies. I also draw portraits with color pencils and acrylics, I crochet, I customize my own Blythe dolls and I reborn my own dolls, among other hobbies.

10. Do you only sculpt for kit production or do you do custom ~ portrait orders too?
I don’t do custom portraits anymore they are too time consuming. Currently, I accept to sculpt dolls to be reproduced into doll kits inspired by pictures only but not portraits. I also sculpt for Ashton Drake Galleries and Paradise Galleries,

11. When did your first kit come out and what was the baby's name?
My first kit was a commissioned portrait doll named Teal in 2017

12. How many kits have you produced to date?
I have 5 kits so far.

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?
Teal, Lark, Alouette, Deryn and Sparrow.

14. Which baby of yours has been your all time favorite and why?
Alouette because she makes me smile every time I see her.

15. Do you plan to continue sculpting babies for kits?
Yes, I would love to.

16. How do you feel about the reborn doll industry? What excites you and what upsets you?
How I feel?
Reborn industry is constantly changing and evolving with the years. It is growing so fast; many new sculptors are emerging, and new kits are being launched quite often. Sometimes a new preorder is launched each week, which makes it more difficult for sculptors to sell our kits.
-What excites me? Every time I see one of my kits beautifully brought to life by a talented reborner.
-What upsets me? All the people illegally copying kits, and it upsets me even more, all the reborners that support them.

17. How do you feel about the progression of the art of reborning over the past 10 years?
The art of reborn has improved a lot during the past 10 years, sculptors make better and more realistic sculptures and reborners have developed amazing techniques that make their babies look more and more realistic every time. Nothing comparable with the reborns from years ago.

18. Do you think that this industry has a long term future or do you think its just a fad that will blow over?
It is hard to tell, because I think that the love for hyperrealistic babies will remain as long as women have maternal instincts, so collectors will continue to buy reborn dolls.

However, I think that if people continue illegally copying kits and reborners continue to buy them, eventually we, the sculptors, will be forced to emigrate to sculpt other kinds of dolls instead of kits. Hopefully it won’t happen...

19. What are your plans and hopes for the future?
At this moment, my plans are to continue making baby Jesus’, dolls and kits as long as my health allows me to do it.

20. Do you have something new in the works?
I have a limited-edition resin fairy in the making, my 2019 resin Baby Jesus’ collection, and a new doll kit to be released by the end of the year.