Meet Loretta Miller, a sculptor from Great Bend whose creations you would recognize immediately. Loretta sculpts faces of old men, Santa, elves, and comical witches, creating them into dolls that collectors throughout the
United States love to buy. And she creates these expressive characters in her own workspace in Great Bend. Her story just might inspire someone to follow his or her passion as she has done.
Loretta’s studio, The Gallery, in Great Bend is a working studio, with shelves arranged with different fabrics, bins full of sculptured, expressive doll faces, a large central, working table, and more bins of accessories for the many ideas continually germinating in her mind. Just to be inside this space observing the diversity of choices and projects is a treat. Beautiful dolls, Santas, Easter Bunnies, Fairy Godmothers, and a myriad of other projects are on display in their own area.
She didn’t start out as an artist. For 30 years, Loretta worked in an office from 9-5 like many, but after a serious fall that led to a long and painful recovery, she was left unable to work. And deep down in her heart, she discovered her calling as an artist, sculpting characters from her imagination, giving them life.
“I always loved dolls, and my hobby was dip and drape dolls if you remember them from 50 years ago. You dipped fabric in stiffener and draped it over pop bottles and over papier-mache.”
“Then I heard about Eileen Hicks, in Claflin, who made porcelain dolls. I was urged to go see her. She was such a gracious lady and she helped me learn how to make them. A friend gave me a kiln for Christmas, and I started making my own dolls. I then got a job with Bil Mac Company in Pittsburg, Kansas, and made porcelain dolls for them.”
Guess what she bakes in her oven...
“And then, in 1991, my daughter Leslie urged me to go to a sculpting class in Kansas City to enjoy a ‘girls’ weekend.’ Jack Johnson, an artist for Disney, was teaching sculpting. It was a three-day course. We started at 9 and went all day. The first day we did the head, then the hands, the next day the other parts. On Sunday morning, we had a finished doll with no clothes. I was just wild! I had found my passion. I called my husband and told him I was getting rid of the porcelain. Don’t know if you know this but porcelain is very dirty to work with. I was ready to leave porcelain behind. Besides, now, all I needed was a little card table, my super sculpting, a few tools, and a regular oven.”
What was her first project?
“I started out with Santas. I didn’t add witches until a few years ago, when an upscale store, the Plaid Giraffe in Wichita, suggested them.”
Building a clientele
“My husband, Tim, was the president of the National Longhorn Association, and we traveled a lot. I took pieces with me, and the ladies would buy them. Then, a store in Wichita took pieces on consignment, and when they closed after 10 years, they suggested I take some to the Plaid Giraffe. I took my Santas there on consignment. They were hesitant even though I showed them my pages of clients in the United States.
“I explained that I have several hundred who buy from me, and they fight over the pieces to get first choice. Nope. They said we only want five. It happened to be a good sales ploy.
“‘You only want five?’ That was on a Monday. On Tuesday they called me and said they sold the five and could I bring more? I said, ‘I am sorry, but all my others went to other stores.’ But the next season, they ordered many. I have been with them for 20 years. Now I sell to stores in many places. Country Seasons in Larned is one of the stores who have my dolls. I take about 10 or 12 of each to Larned and they are good customers.”
She loves to teach and is teaching a class on rabbits and teaches how to make beautiful ornaments during the holiday season.
How do you think these dolls up? Does it come naturally?
She speaks like there is nothing to it, as I watch her change a long witch nose into a fat, short Santa nose. I am fascinated.
“I see an idea, maybe in a magazine. I am not capable of copying pictures that I see. I get an idea then. I make a body and I dress it, and then I do the head for it. I make each face.”
The faces are all sculpted from a soft clay. Every piece of clay molded into a face gives a weathered, aged, and wrinkled appearance to show maximum expression and lifelike feel with angelic grace. The clothing is just as unique.
“The costumes are adorned with antique articles and accessories from various shops and estate sales across Kansas. After I sculpt the originals, then I make a mold from the original. You see, I don’t want to make the same face over and over. Then I can take the same clay sculpture and change it as another face. Maybe I want to change the nose and the face changes.”
Yeah, sure, Loretta, I think. Nothing to it! Right?
She sees the idea in her imagination, sews the clothes, makes the body, and then visualizes the face for the sculpture.
You must see these dolls to believe it. They are tempting to own, and even to collect. Be sure and visit the local stores where Loretta Miller’s work can be found. You can reach Loretta at lkm.original@yahoo.com.
