Rita Rich Arnold

 Interview by

MacPherson Arts & Crafts

1. Where are you from and where do you live now?
Central Illinois. Although we still are in Illinois during the summer months, we are primarily living in Largo, Fl.
We do have a casting studio in both locations so we work from whichever state we are in at the time.

 2. Have you always been interested in dolls?
Babies and baby dolls have been my passion for my entire life

3. When did you first become interested in sculpting?
As an adult, I began my dollmaking adventure in 1978 making porcelain reproduction dolls. That led to my first attempts at sculpting in 1988

4. How did you first encounter reborn dolls?

I first saw reborn dolls at the major doll shows.

5. Have you sculpted dolls from the time you started sculpting, or did you start off with something else?

I have only sculpted dolls.

6. How long have you been sculpting?

over 40 years and counting

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

I sculpt in cernit and Super Sculpey

8. What inspires & motivates you to sculpt?

Newborn Babies are my inspiration.

9. Do you sculpt full time & do you have other hobbies?

The majority of my time is spent making dolls however I also love watercolor painting and piano.

10. Do you only sculpt for kit production or do you do custom ~ portrait orders too?

I sculpt for my completed dolls as well as for kits. We do offer some portrait orders.

11. When did your first kit come out and what was the baby's name?

My first kit was released in 1999 and the baby’s name was Aubrey.

12. How many kits have you produced to date?

We have had 6 vinyl kits but also several silicone kits.

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?
Aubrey, Tender Blessings, Sleepyhead, Taylor, Baby Rita and Rowen

14. Which baby of yours has been your all time favorite and why?

Ayla is my personal favorite sulpt. I prefer sleepers and she reminds me of one of my grandchildren.

15. Do you plan to continue sculpting babies for kits?

Yes I do.

16. How do you feel about the reborn doll industry? What excites you and what upsets you?

I love it that there are so many wonderful reborn kits available and so many talented artists. I hate it that the market is now being flooded with kits and dolls that were stolen from Artists and then reproduced and sold at a much less cost. Many collectors don’t realize that these are stolen sculpts so they don’t understand why some dolls are so much less expensive than others.

17. How do you feel about the progression of the art of reborning over the past 10 years?

I am amazed at how far the industry has progressed.

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 feel that the doll industry is a passing phase. Little girls are born every day and many of them will be as passionate about their love of baby dolls as I am. I look at photographs of our ancestors and many of those photos show both little girls and ladies with their treasured dolls.

19.What are your plans and hopes for the future?

I am hoping that I will be able to continue sculpting and producing babies for a few more years.

20. Do you have something new in the works?

I am always sculpting something new and this year I want to focus on offering more unpainted silicone kits as well as unpainted full body silicones for the reborners to bring to life.