Bob and I, at a Doll Exhibit in King of Prussia, PA 1992.

In 1993 I had the pleasure of taking a doll making class with Bob McKinley (Robert Keene McKinley) at Gloria Weiner’s (Mimi)place in New Jersey.
This class was and is the one and only class, on doll making, that I have taken so far. The whole time we were in the class Bob regaled us with stories about his life and work. He told us jokes, danced around the room and gave us all help with our sculpting and complimented us when we were doing well. It was the most fun I have ever had in any class. At the same time he was serious when it came to teaching us techniques, that he had come up with, through hard work and experimentation.
This was only a year before he died. During that year except for the last three months of his life, Bob and I talked on the phone often and exchanged letters. He was never too busy to talk on the phone, while he was talking, he was working on a doll and occasionally popping M&M’s in his mouth. One time I said to him “Bob, would you share your M&Ms with me, if I were there” he gave one of his, special cackling laughs, and said “Well you would have to bring your own chocolates and share them with me.” We would talk about chocolate and it’s merits. We had one thing in common, we were both incurable chocoholics.
Bob had a way with people, even though he claimed to be shy. I don’t think he ever met a person he could not share something with, a joke, advice in doll making, or just ordinary chit chat. He was approachable and never made you feel that you had to put him up on a pedestal, even though he was considered one of the best Doll Artists in the country. He was a member of the prestigious Doll Artist group NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artists).Go there and read more about Bob and to see more of his dolls.
Bob’s first book “Doll Making: One Artist's Approach” came about because a lady in Kentucky wrote him and asked him questions about doll making. Bob made a doll, as he was making the doll, he would take a polaroids and write directions on each step and send those to her each week. In the end he sent her the doll. This shows you how kind and generous Bob was. This book and his book “Sculpting Dolls in Paperclay” are selling on Amazon for astronomical sums, and are worth every penny..
Bob also made a video in which he made a doll and showed step by step how he sculpted and finished a doll.
I feel that I was very lucky that I took his class, as I have the memory of a friendship, albeit short, and I use techniques he taught us in that class, to this day.
  
Bob with one of his creations.
  
Bob demostrating technique, in our class.
 
 
 
  
Front and back covers of his Doll Making books. Click to see larger immages and to read his messages to his readers.
  
A panel for an AIDS quilt in his memory. The drawing is a copy of one he made for his book "Sculpting Dolls in Paperclay" participates at NIADA 1995 and 1996 signed the panel.
  
When we were taking his class in NJ, we all went out to dinner together. I said to Bob "Take a bite of something, so that I can show people that I had dinner with you". This was the result.....I can hear his laugh right now.....he would have loved this.

Labels: Artist Profiles