History of Reborning

Sweet Dreams Baby Nursery

About The Artist

The First Reborn Delivery in 1990

When I finished my first Reborn baby, I presented it to the Porcelain Doll Club that I belonged to. Even though they loved it, "they actually laughed at me". They thought she was beautiful, and very realistic looking, but they still didn't think anyone would ever want to buy a vinyl type doll, when they could have a doll made of porcelain. This did not stop me from moving forward and I continued experimenting and perfecting various painting and techniques for even more realism. I have been making Reborn Babies ever since.

I may have been a little ahead of my time, but from that day forward, the process of "Reborning" has continued to grow and flourish into a unique piece of Americana Art History.

Today it is known as "The Original Art Of Reborning".

It all started long before the Internet came into our homes.

I still love to paint in the Plein Air method every chance I get, and also portrait paintings of children. I love sculpting babies from polymer clay and I specialize in one of a kind newborns, preemies, and rememberance preemies.

"It Is Still My Goal To Capture The Pure Essence Of

A Newborn's Realism In Every type of Baby I Create"

Each of my babies are Collector quality, one of a kind, works of art,

never to be duplicated again.

Thank you for your interest in me and my babies and I'd love to be

the artist you choose to create the baby of your Sweet Dreams.

Joyce & Her Babies

I taught the first Reborning class,

to 20+ students in early 1990.

Reborning is not a quick process to learn. It take patience and practice, but the results are priceless. After creating the first Reborn baby and teaching others, the seeds were sown. From that point onward it took root and continued to grow and flourish around the entire world. It is now referred to as "The Art Of Reborning". When the Internet opened the doors for Reborning in 2000, the Original Art Of Reborning had already been in existence for 11 years. Reborn's were not known in the Internet world and no one in Europe even knew these techniques existed, but it does not mean they were not known. Before the opening of the Internet and having computers in every home, things took a lot longer to spread from community to community, state to state, or around the world. Today a new idea can circle the globe within minutes. Doll Artists in almost every country in the world are now learning about Reborning.

During the 80's porcelain doll classes were made available to anyone that wanted to learn. The draw back was that the market became flooded with poor quality imitations of the original dolls. Everyone wanted to sell their dolls before perfecting their techniques. The buyers became reluctant to purchase again after seeing many of these dolls close-up. There were few exceptional artists. The 90's brought a drastic decline in porcelain doll sales because there were so many amateur doll makers selling porcelain dolls that did not meet the standard of the originals porcelain work. The same thing is happening in the Reborning world today.

Doll makers of the 90's began looking for something new to make when sales declined. I was looking for something too, and decided to take it a step beyond with my Aunt's request. The results were amazing and I was pleased. The ladies I showed my babies to loved the idea but weren't quite ready for the concept. Over the next decade, some realized their might be a market for Reborn's after all since sales of porcelain were almost non existent for most of them.

Over the past decade Reborning has worked its way into

the studios of doll makers around the world.

Reborning Explodes In 2000

"Reborn's" were being sold on Ebay as a "new concept" in doll making. They were immediately sought after by doll collector's everywhere. Many non-artists and doll makers were trying to learn to create these life like dolls, but unfortunately, much of the information being shared over the Internet was so distorted, or completely inaccurate that many false techniques were being propagated. Out of sheer frustration many doll makers reverted back to making what should have been called an "enhanced doll", but again they still continued to call them Reborn's. Many enhanced type craft dolls "look similar" in photos, but when you see them in person they are a sad disappointment to their buyers and they are reluctant to ever buy another Reborn.

With the growth of the Internet and the spread of the "Art Of Reborning"

around the world, "quality control", has essentially become a thing of the past.

Please ask questions and educate yourself before buying a Reborn Baby.

I stand behind my work in workman

ship, artistry and quality 110%.

My Personal History & Involvement Concerning

"The Original Art Of Reborning"

In 1989 I began creating what was to become known as a Reborn Baby

and the Original Art Of Reborning. I continue to strive always to

create the most beautiful illusion of a newborn possible.

My goal is to fool the eye into thinking it sees a real baby.

I have more than 50 years of professional doll making experience and have worked in almost every aspect of doll making, from restoration, porcelain, cloth dolls, pattern designing, sculpting, sewing, and everything else in between. As one of the original Reborn pioneers, I consider myself more of a Realist Reborn Artist and Baby Designer. I am also a Plein Air Artist.

I strive to create new and better methods of Reborning and ways of adding more realism with each baby I create. Throughout my many years of Reborning work, I have never compromised the "Original Art Of Reborning" guidelines. I have always offered the highest quality, beauty, artistry and workmanship possible at any given phase of Reborning's growth. My goal continues to create the most realistic and life-like babies possible. I continue to elevate the Art Of Reborning year after year.

I have an unending love of babies and children everywhere,

and it is my hope that it shines through in my work. I put

a piece of my heart and soul into every baby I create.

How Reborning Got Its Original Start

In the late1980's there was a brand new type of doll on the market made by Berjusa. They looked more like a real baby than any doll that had ever been offered to the public. They took the doll collector market by storm, and these babies sold as fast as the factories could make and deliver them. My Aunt sent me a set of twin babies in the late 80's and asked if I would try to find a way to paint and detail them like I did on my portrait paintings of children. She wanted me to paint them so they could fool the eye and look as if they were alive. With the techniques I was able to develop for painting these dolls, I was able to made them look more alive than any other type dolls at the time. They had the look and coloring of a living baby, so they would make a person take a second look. The paints needed to be permanent so they would last for years to come, and not wash or rub off like many enhanced type techniques that were popular at the time. It was this challenge, and my strong artistic background, that lead me to create these babies.

Reborning Was A Brand New Way Of Painting A Vinyl Doll

The type of painting techniques I developed and the results they gave, were something brand new and never seen on any type of doll before. The results were amazing and everyone that saw them fell in love with them. In developing the artistic techniques of this work, I relied on my knowledge of the tried and true methods that the Old Master Oil Painters have used and passed on for hundreds of years ago. I continue to use my knowledge of Plein Air and portrait painting in this work. I am competent in every type of permanent medium that fits within the guidelines of the art.

I will paint per your preference with custom work. I've heard it said, "that there is no right or wrong methods of creating a Reborn". All experienced artists know that every venue of art and painting have certain guidelines and rules that must be adhered to if they are going to call it by a particular name. Reborning is another one of these artistic venues.

Ask questions before buying a Reborn from anyone.

You will find many qualified and talented Reborn artist producing exquisite work.

The Art Of Reborning is a unique artistic venue and should be treated as such.