Colliii.com: Hello Rita. Thanks for taking time for us. Why don´t you introduce yourself to our readers.

Rita: Hello! I am from the Mediteranean island of Sicily and I was born and live in the small town of Lentini. 

I have always had an interest in the arts, but I wouldn´t really call myself an artist. I do love a challenge and I am currently trying to set up my own clothing line. It takes a huge amount of time and effort, but I hoping to get it ready soon.

Colliii.com: You studied art for some time. How has that helped you?

Rita: As part of my studies I learned a lot about sculpting. I attended the Catania Art School, where I studied sculpting. I had to learn all different aspects of sculpting and that gave me a valuable basis for my current work.

Colliii.com: You also are involved with Reborn dolls. How has that been for you?

Rita: Well I started Reborning out of curiosity more than anything else. It was an interesting challenge for me as the techniques for doing it are still very new. I have been doing it since 2004, and I think I was one of the first in Italy to get involved with it.

Colliii.com: Have your art studies helped you with Reborning?

Rita: In some ways yes, but arts forms can be very different, and often they are not something that you can learn. I suppose it helped me to work a bit faster, and to see the medium in a different way. I think courses can help you a lot, but they are no substitute for talent.

Colliii.com: Your doll “Aline” was nominated for a Colliii Award in 2009. Could you tell us a little about her?

Rita: “Aline” was somewhat a spontaneous creation. I remember that I had some clay in my hands and I just started forming and moulding her. Once I got her to the point where I was happy with the way she looked, then she was ready!
To be honest, I don´t like mass produced dolls. All of my dolls are unique. I don´t think how many dolls I can make a year, but rather I try to make each doll an individual and special.

Colliii.com: “Aline” had a very special presentation. How did you come up with that idea?

Rita: When “Aline” was finished I wanted to transmit a feeling of peace and tranquility, and the best way I thought of was to have the precious sleeping baby on a little cloud. 

Colliii.com: Thats great! If people are interested in buying your dolls, where can they find them?

Rita: You can find all of my dolls on my homepage which is: www.sweetsangels.altervista.org.

Colliii.com: You are a member of the M.I.R.A doll making guild. Could you tell us a little more about that?

Rita: M.I.R.A. was founded in 2008 and is a guild for Italian and international reborn artists. Reborning has grown in Italy and the various techniques are spreading very quickly. We have very strict standards for the work, and although the guild is well seen abroad, it is not so popular in Italy as many artists think that the rules are too strict. 
The standard have to be kept high in order to differentiate between amatures and professional levels.  You can find out more on our webpage www.miraguild.altervista.org

Colliii.com: Thank you for your time Rita. We hope you continue to keep up the high standards of doll making and wish you all the best for the future.