(Michelle Fagan Originals)

Incredibly Real Babies 

by Pam North

The realism of Michelle Fagan’s newborns is unsettlingly surreal; one almost expects to hear a soft coo or see a small movement. Her consummate artistry seems to have created a living, breathing human baby in perfect detail.
Michelle’s passion for dolls began in her childhood, and it was encouraged by her mother, who also loved and collected them. As an adult, Michelle worked as a Department of Social Services caseworker for the elderly before giving up that career to raise her own family in South Carolina. Her two children are now aged 21 and 24, and on their own, living a short distance away from Michelle. Her daughter, Autumn, is in chiropractic college, and soon will be giving Michelle a grandchild, a likely model for future dolls. Her son, Matt, operates his own successful construction business. Michelle has been creating dolls since 2000, with a three-year pause from that endeavor to reorganize her life after a divorce in 2014. She has had to restart her business after that hiatus, which has been somewhat of a struggle for her, but she is back on track with her doll making.
She began making dolls in 2000, when her children were young and money was tight, and because she always had collected dolls, she thought she could make some for herself. She had no formal training in her craft initially, but later took a workshop with Rita Rich Arnold, who helped her learn and refine her techniques and artistry to help streamline her path to becoming a skilled sculptor of babies. Now she has become adept at sculpting life-size newborn babies out of ProSculpt clay, making molds from the original sculpt, then pouring small editions (usually 10 worldwide) in soft, realistic platinum-based silicon that is stronger and longer lasting. She does the entire production herself. Her dolls range from 12” to 21”, have the finest German glass eyes for realism, and rooted mohair that beautifully duplicates the fine, wispy hair of newborns. She doesn’t make their clothes herself, preferring instead to purchase beautifully handmade, high-quality baby clothing. She sells her babies mostly directly from her website, but sometimes puts one on eBay or Etsy, both of which she views as “great venues of advertising and bringing collectors to the artist.” She occasionally has taught workshops herself (three over her 17-year sculpting career), but it is not something that she does routinely.
Inspiration for Michelle’s creations comes from real-life babies, or from photos she sees that capture an expression that she can’t wait to recreate in her work. There are challenges to overcome as well. “One has to be in a creative mood,” she pointed out. “For me, if I have outside stresses going on, I am not able to be creative. I also work from home, and it is hard to balance everything.” Luckily, she has a good workplace. “I have a studio in my home with plenty of room to stretch out and spread out my work, and I also have a view outside which I find very relaxing.”
Most of Michelle’s dolls are totally customizable, and are available in a selection of skin, hair, and eye colors. Some also can be made as either full-body silicone, or for those who do not care for the weight of the full-body silicone and its added expense, cloth bodies may be substituted. 
Asked what gives her the most satisfaction about her work, Michelle replied, “My favorite part of what I do is seeing the final creation that has evolved from the weeks of hard work, and sending those first photographs to the collector who has been patiently waiting to see the results of my customizing a baby’s hair and eye colors to her specific desires. I also love hearing from the collectors once they have gotten their babies in their arms. People who have not experienced the more realistic line of silicone generally are amazed at the lifelike look and feel that it has,” Michelle explained..“I have many satisfied customers, and have gotten to know so many doll collectors all over the world.” ”
Michelle’s view of the future of dolls is optimistic. “I think doll collecting is going strong, and I see no end to it. Collectors are desiring realistic dolls, and that’s what I intend to continue to produce.” Her desire to please her customers inspires her to try new ideas, and to continue to evolve in her creativity and artistry. “My creations in 2018 hopefully will have moved forward still further,” she observed. “I have done breathing babies and drink/wet babies, and I hope this coming year to add a different type of skeleton to themn to achieve more realism.”

Contact Information:
Michelle Fagan Originals
Email: michellesbabies2000@gmail.com
Website: http://www.michellefaganoriginals.com
Telephone: (864) 316-4828
Address: 118 Brookwood Creek Dr, Landrum, SC