“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m an artist.”

When not wanting to get into lengthy explanations, I simply reply that I am an artist. This of course usually conjures up the usual response that I must be a painter or perhaps a sculptor. Which of course is true, but not in the traditional sense that one imagines. When I further the conversation by saying that I am a doll artist, this of course throws them completely off track. This conjures up all different categories and qualities of dolls to the mind of the inquirer. Saying that they are made of felt further befuddles them. One really has to see pictures of my dolls, or better yet, see them in person, to truly understand what I am talking about.

I think that I have played more with dolls as an adult than I ever did as a child growing up in Hopkins, Minnesota. Back then my favorite doll was Midge, Barbie's companion. By the time I learned how to sew, I was done playing with dolls, so Midge didn't get a lot of hand made clothes. I however, learned from my very patient Mother, to make my own clothes. Little did I know then that the passing down of this very important skill would help me to earn a living later down the road.

I attended college at the State University of New York at Fredonia. I studied there to become an elementary school teacher. After graduating, I was recruited to go to Australia to teach for two years. While there I fell in love with another American teacher, Tony Iacono, and we were married soon after returning to the States in 1976. We have since had three children, all girls.

I became interested in doll making soon after the birth of my first child. I began by making simple cloth rag dolls. I took these to craft shows and then later to doll shows. This was great for earning some extra money while still being able to be home and care for my children. As my skills progressed, the "flat" faces of my cloth dolls frustrated me, and I knew I needed to achieve something more realistic. I discovered a felt doll at a show one day and thought this might be the medium for me. Discovering a method for pressing the faces was a huge challenge. After much experimenting, I discovered a technique that gave me the results I was looking for. Adding dimension to their faces breathed new life into my dolls.

A truly lucky person is one
who loves what they do for a living.

My work progressed and became more and more refined. Eventually, demand for my work grew to such an extent, that my husband quit his job and came to help me full time. Together we came up with a jointing system for the dolls that gives them a full range of motion. This was something I had always wanted for my dolls, the ability to pose them in many positions. At present our studio is at home. We produce an average of five editions of seventy dolls each year, with the help of several outside assistants. I also produce a few one of a kind dolls during the year that I will sell directly to collectors, and maybe one very small edition.

The costuming for my dolls is very important and is the one area that I spend a great deal of time on. I enjoy playing with all the different textiles that I use and inventing ways to transform them and embellish the fabrics in different ways. Many collectors have referred to my doll costuming as "art on art".

My dolls have received numerous awards, such as Doll Reader Magazine's Doty, and Dolls Magazine's Dolls award of Excellence. In 1993 I was honored when I was elected into the National Institute of American Dolls Artists (NIADA). My work has been exhibited in many galleries and museums, including the Louvre in Paris. Most of my work is sold through fine doll shops both in the United States and abroad.

A truly lucky person is one who loves what they do for a living. This statement has come true for me. It is the sense of pride and wonderment of creating something from nothing that is very rewarding and I have never tired of the experience. I am grateful to everyone who purchases and collects my dolls. It allows me to keep growing as an artist and to continue a creative process that I truly love.