Dianna Effner has been making dolls for over 25 years.
In 1967 she received
a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bradley University, where
she studied
painting, sculpture and ceramics. In the early 70's, while engaged
in the
challenging career of stay-at-home Mom, she took up doll making
as a side
line. She designed porcelain dolls for a small company called
Doll-Lain
inMilan, Illinois, and made one-of-a-kind Fimo miniatures. In
the early
80's she began to make her own original limited edition porcelain
dolls.
During that time she also designed dolls for "The Collectibles"
in Rolla, Missouri.
In the late 80s she began designing for Ashton Drake
Galleries and the
Ultimate Collection, a company which sold molds to doll makers.
In 1991 she
and her husband, Randall, started their own mold company, "Expressions."
This family enterprise has kept her very busy and she finds it
difficult to
make time for doing artist dolls. Due to her passion for creating
artist
dolls, she manages to do a few each year. She is also very involved
in the
educational aspects of doll making. She has made instructional
videos and
taught seminars around the world in sculpting and painting dolls.
Dianna and Randall have 3 grown children, Ivan, Lela
and Sara. They have 5
granddchildren with one more on the way at this writing. They
live and have
their business in Jamestown, Missouri. Dianna is also a member
of the
National Institute of American Doll Artists.
©2003 Dianna Effner
Porcelain Dolls