My name is Donna May Robinsonebay seller id:donnadollart)I create One-of-a-kind cloth dolls featuring hand-painted portrait faces. Ie been a member of NIADA since 1999 (National Institute of American Doll Artists) I also a member of the American Sewing Guild, O.D.A.CT (Original Doll Artisans of Connecticut, the Connecticut Button society (I have a thing for buttons-even make my own!) and nowHAO American Holiday Artists Ornaments a juried eBay artist group.

My foray into creating doll art began when I decided to leave my job as a fashion designer in New York City. Despite the title esignerI found the occupation offered little creativity. In what may seem to some as a totally different career venture, I returned to school for a degree in nursing. A few days shy of graduation and ready to don my uniform happened upon an ad for a cloth doll pattern in a magazine. Charmed by the design I sent away for the pattern.

This first pattern drafted my journey into the world of doll artistry.

That one pattern opened an opportunity for me to play around and create my own patterns for dolls. However, I took a side step from the cloth medium and ventured into porcelain dolls, for some reason I came to the misguided conclusion that cloth dolls weren as valued as dolls made of clay. I took some classes in porcelain doll making and ended up creating my own molds, I became adept at this process and was thrilled to be the recipient of the Rosette Award at the Seeley convention. But despite the award, I missed the sewing and painting process, my two favorite mediums, plus I felt porcelain to be a hard medium oo cold to create my own characters

So I returned to fabric-my first love-(all kinds). But now I was anxious to move forward from where I left off. I wanted to create more expressive faces and definitive bodies, bodies that could sit, or stand on their own, heads that could move like a porcelain baby dolls. Luckily I happened upon an article on doll artist Barbara Buyces oil painted-rag dolls and that proverbial ightning momenthit me. From that day forth I worked at developing a design that would allow my doll characters to be free standing with rotating heads. I presented these dolls at my first show in 1992 and knew as I stood behind the boothI found my artistic niche.

I continue to push the envelope with my doll designs and am happy that many of my finished pieces have found their way into galleries and homes around the world. My creative vision has always been to A) create a doll that peaks to mend B) to create work that has a true signature style and isn derivative of another artist work. Creating something singularly recognized as my own work I feel is a way of sharing a part of my oulwith the viewer.

Between doll making I create collage purses, buttons and nowne-of-a-kind ornaments. I thoroughly enjoy creating these small works of art and hope that they too, will also find their way into collector homes across the globe.

I sew and paint in my fabric packed-studio home deep in the calming woods of Connecticut where I reside with the two most important men in my life; my husband and son who continue to inspire me and tolerate my addiction to fabricll kindsind you.

2007 All designs Donna May Robinson-images may not be used in part or whole without artist's express permission, thank you.

My website: Donna May Robinson

National Institute of American Doll Artists: NIADA.org

Original Doll Artisans of Connecticut ODACT.org