Given the quality of her work, award-winning doll artist Kathleen Hill could easily transition to de­signing costumes for film and television. Her lav­ish doll gowns and splendid accessories would look right at home on the stars of Downton Abbey and other period dramas. For now, however, Hill remains dedicated to making intricate, one-of-a-kind creations for her original dolls and her beautifully repainted vinyls and porcelains.

“I have always had an interest in fashion — both past and present — and each can give me inspiration for a piece of costume or color combination. Inspiration comes from different avenues but generally from the historical fashion and museum collection books in my extensive library,” the Nipomo, California, artist said. “Also, a piece of donated or purchased antique lace, a hat, or fabric in my collection will inspire a particular design. I received a beautiful ivory silk satin Italian bedspread from a 1940s wedding gift. It was donated to me from the owner’s daughter to repurpose on my dolls. I made two Edwardian bride doll gowns with this fabric, never intending to sell them.”

Hill began her professional association with dollmaking in 1988. She started by offering reproduction porcelain lady dolls. In the 1990s, she progressed to creating her own original porcelains, which includ­ed prototypes for a mass-production doll company. “Around 2005, I began repainting vinyls due to a combination of factors, including the economy and several surgeries that made the handling of heavy plaster molds more challenging.” (Robert Tonner dolls are Hill’s preference for vinyl recostuming, repainting, and re-imagining.)

Prior to her immersion into the doll realm, the U.K.-born Hill had a thriving, successful career in medicine. She was a leading technolo­gist/dosimetrist in radiation oncology for several decades. Hill said, “Fortunately, with reciprocal agreements in many countries, I was able to easily obtain a visa to practice in the United States. Since there were no training programs in the U.S. at that time, we were imported from the U.K. and Australia. Interestingly, I believe my knowledge of anat­omy gave me a successful advantage in my original sculpting area.”

Working in a field that was so intel­lectually and emotionally charged — treating cancer patients — Hill sought a respite from the demanding profession. She gravitated to dancing, but with her self-described “extroverted and colorful personality,” she did not confine herself to foxtrots or waltzes in a ballroom. She said, “I be­came a belly dancer. I joined a troupe and danced in a Moroccan restaurant in the evenings. My immersion into Middle Eastern cul­ture had a big influence on my ethnic porcelain and vinyl creations. I used leftover pieces of fabric, trims, and coins to make the dolls’ costumes. You know, my love of dolls began with a gift of a Spanish doll from my aunt’s travels when I was a young child. My foreign doll collection has mushroomed over the years.”