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June Goodnow, a renowned doll artist, has been a member of NIADA, The National Institute of American Doll Artists, since 1976. Although she had no formal training, June inadvertently discovered that she had a natural talent for artistic interpretation.

One day back in 1972, in an effort to entertain her small daughter, June began to shape and model a piece of play clay. After a while, the clay took on the likeness of an elderly uncle who was visiting. While she was both surprised and delighted, she had no idea how this unlikely event was about to change the direction of her life.

June now lives in Oklahoma City, OK, but in 1972, she lived in rural South Dakota, where finding classes to learn doll and mold making, casting, china painting, porcelain work, etc., was next to impossible. So, she did the next best thing.

During the next few years, she experimented on her own, using the trial and error method and soon mastered the technique and perfected her own style. She then began to enter her work in local shows and at the annual UFDC(United Federation of Doll Collectors)conferences in various competition categories.

Her exceptional artistry won her many blue ribbons. This in turn, gained her the attention of the members of NIADA, and in 1976, she was voted in as an artist member of this prestigious group.

For many years, June specialized in portrait dolls of Native American people, doing personalities from various tribes. Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta of the Ute tribe; Sitting Bull and Red Cloud of the Sioux; Sequoia of the Cherokee and many others.

These early works were done in porcelain or low fire bisque. In 1984, June discovered the magic of polymer clay. On a trip to Germany, she found FIMO in a craft shop, and started experimenting with it. "With the polymer clays, you do not need a high fire kiln," says June.

"To cure it, you simply bake it in a regular home oven at under 300 degrees Fahrenheit," June explains. "Although I started with FIMO, now I use the Super Sculpey brand of polymer clay, which I bake at around 250 degrees Fahrenheit."

June was one of the first NIADA members to explore the possibilities of having a web site to market her work. In 1995, she asked a dollmaker friend to create a very simple site using just a few photos of her dolls, an artist's biography and seminar information. By 1997, June felt the need for a more sophisticated web site and subsequently hired a professional web designer to create her present site, June Goodnow, Artist Dolls.

June comments: "I am extremely pleased with my present web designer, Wanda Hartung, of Crossroads Publishing. I found her through America Online, and after visiting with her by telephone, I decided she understood the type of site I wanted."

"My site was designed to my needs, taking her about two weeks to complete, with me supplying the doll photos and text," she continues. "Wanda's prices start at $25 per page, plus additional costs for logos, forms, guest book, web ring connections, scanning, image editing, clip art and backgrounds.

"For example, if she is shopping for clip art to use, I pay for her time. Most components needed for a site have set prices," she says. June pays Wanda $20 per month for updating and site maintenance, adding that Wanda's willingness to be very flexible has resulted in fees and payment arrangements that suited them both.

Cyberspace has been a boon to June's ability to reach far and wide to her target audience. She says, "I love having my own web site, and having e-mail is wonderful! Since I travel all over the world to teach doll sculpting, silicone mold making and resin casting, it is easy to schedule teaching engagements via e-mail."

When a potential out-of-state or overseas seminar host/hostess contacts her, June can send photos of her work to them as attachments with her e-mail responses. "They can then see my style, and it helps them to, in turn, promote the seminar to local students," she adds.

In 1995, June was invited to teach in Australia and New Zealand. She set up the entire series of classes -- four in Australia and one in New Zealand -- via e-mail. The classes ran like clockwork. In each of the five cities, the hostesses had the dates, venues and students all lined up long before she arrived to teach.

"All I had to do was show up. The marvelous thing about that trip was that I made so many doll friends 'Down Under,' and we continue to stay in touch through e-mail even today," she happily reports.

"Since I sell my classes, my dolls and my how-to videos, the web site definitely pays for itself, plus makes an excellent profit," she says. People who might not normally be acquainted with June through the doll community can find her by searching for keywords: mold making, polymer clay or videos. "I have had miniaturists and figurine artists contact me, wanting my video to learn how to make molds for their work," June points out.

Naturally, June promotes her site by submitting her URL to the major search engines. She also subscribes to the online DOLLMAKERS LIST message board. With each message she sends to that group of doll people, her web site address is part of her signature. She also sent announcements about her site to all the major doll magazines for them to print in the 'What's New' sections of their publications.

She has added her e-mail address and URL to all her stationery and business cards. June has an extensive list of links to sites she admires and would like to share with you, ranging from links to doll sites, to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. "One of my own creations, Nez Perce Woman, is in the Musee des arts Decortifs, which is a section of the Louvre," June proudly explains.

"A web site won't do you any good unless you promote it," says June. "Sure, it takes a bit of time, but look what the result can be! Income, travel, new friends, acquaintances and adventure! I am so glad I joined the Information Super Highway! It's a TRIP!"

June Goodnow ((JuneDolls@aol.com)
Dolores Hannan ((DOLLMKRnRI@AOL.COM)
Wanda Hartung ((Rea1art@AOL.COM))