Call us: 937-848-4828
Dolls By Sonja Bryer
When I initially became interested in doll making, I was already an accomplished ceramic artist. To support my hobby, I offered classes in my basement studio. I soon realized the admiration my students and I had for porcelain and I quickly began specializing in this media. I taught classes for approximately 12 years and had students attending from three states around me.
I always had the need to challenge myself as an artist and in 1977 while attending my first doll convention, I met a lady that would start me on my way to sculpting dolls. The class was 7 days long and gave me a good start.
I started selling my own limited edition dolls in 1980 and soon was selling so many dolls that I had to get help. I had three dress makers, three mold makers, and four others that helped in various ways of finishing the dolls. I attended as many as 8 shows a year to sell and take orders. It soon got to be too much, traveling and then coming home to make them. So after 11 years of this I attended my first "Toy Fair" in New York. This is where shops went to purchase dolls for the year. This way I could stay home and make them and would no longer have to travel. I not only sold to the shops but was hired to sculpt for the companies. Danbury, Ashton Drake, Franklin Mint, LL Knickerbocker, and Charisma. In working for Charisma, I recved contracts from Marie Osmond, Disney, Warner Brothers, Lenox and others. I was commissoned to sculpt for all of them. It has been very exciting to have my dolls sold all over the world. I have felt so blessed to be able to work at what I enjoy and to also be able to do something that makes so many people happy. Sculpted many potrait dolls working for Marie and Charisma helped me develope my skill of sculpting
portrait dolls.
These days I am making mostly one of a kind pieces, such as Portrait dolls. I am also teaching some doll making classes and having sculpting seminars when time allows.
E-Mail - Sonjabryer@sbcglobal.net
This is a picture of me as a child. A few years ago I made the doll in my likeness for my 3oth year in business.
