Bill Nelson

Bill Nelson is an internationally known illustrator and sculptor.  His award-winning illustrations have graced the covers and interiors of The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Newsweek (10 covers), Time, TV Guide and The Atlantic Monthly, to name a few.  He has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums worldwide and has won over 900 awards for his illustrations.  In addition to a fruitful illustration career, Bill is an internationally recognized sculptor and venriloquist figure maker.  He is listed in Who's Who in America, and currently lives and works in North Carolina.

"My work has been called 'cartoony' by some (actually, only one), 'too cute' by others (but not many others), 'whimsical' by a few (too few), 'sweet' by a handful (it was a large hand), 'warm' by five people, and 'mirrors to the soul' by no one I can recall.

I have been creating dressed figurative sculptures since 1986. My first pieces were 42 inches tall, the size of an average child. In 1989, I was fortunate enough to meet Bob McKinley and overnight my size changed to around 18 inches. Today my dolls range in size from 10 inches to 15 inches.

The subject matter of my first dolls was the homeless and the elderly.Now I concentrate my efforts on warm, friendly little fantasy elves, gnomes, trolls, and dwarfs
Although great attention is paid to all aspects of the doll, the head, and more specifically the face, holds the greatest interest to me. Faces that yearn, whimper, show hope and courage- faces that smile and question... these are my favorites. If I can't believe what the face I am sculpting is trying to say, then no one will ever see it.

I hope you will discover the life and light I have tried to instill in these faces. Perhaps even view them as mirrors to the soul. (There! Someone finally said it!)"