Interview with Patrick Wise of Private Island Beauties

Private Island Beauties is one of the worlds more beautiful life sized silicone love dolls. Although there is only one basic female form, Private Island Beauties has lived up to its name. It has produced a truly beautiful doll using a combination of features that also makes it truly beautiful as well as unique. Patrick Wise is the creator of PIB. When I was told one of his dolls was appearing as the Feature doll for August, I approached him to see if he might grant me an interview. And that he did. And I'm glad, because it was one of the most entertaining and in depth interviews I have done.

So without further adieu here's Patrick Wise - charming, whitty, warm and the creator of Private Island Beauties.

Scoop:

When did you first begin sculpting and what was your fist project?

Wow...I've been sculpting all my life. My first works that later turned into a business that kept me busy for many years were fantasy figures that I'd sculpt in clay. Eventually I had 27 employees helping to fill orders that went to 500 shops around the country. That was in the 80's. Along the way I began to work in lots of different materials. Plaster, wax, bronze, various polymers, and even paper.I stuck to creating figurative sculptures as I always found the human form ,particularly faces, endlessly intriguing. And, I got to be pretty good at it! I started doing art shows from NY to Miami to LA. My favorite show promoter saw me sculpting at my booth and we agreed that if I continued that at their shows I could get a free booth. Well, that was it for me! I got pretty used to kids standing on my feet as I created life size works at the shows. I was making really funny life-size caricature pieces that included vintage props. It got me lots of TV time and was really fun. I lost track of all the interviews I did though one of my favorites was when was scheduled for really early morning TV spot. So, of course I dressed in my pajamas. Which, as I recall was actually a lot more tame than the leather football helmet, swim fins, red tuxedo with tails and gold lame' polka dotted boxer shorts I would usually show up in. Fun times...

I got noticed (go figure!) at a big show I was doing at the Javitts center in NYC and was asked to create a series of figures for cruise ships. I got to work with some amazingly talented folks to create multi-million dollar scenes for various cruise lines. I did that for 6 years or so. Along the way I began learning about silicone. Primarily from the mold making that was necessary to create those works.

Tell me a little bit about your life in the art world and what finally drew you to making such a beautiful full silicone doll?

I naturally like to experiment with new materials all the time. A percentage of each of our sales goes to trying out new materials even now. I guess it was about 10 years ago that I found that I could make a pretty life like prosthetic for women who had undergone breast cancer surgery, I would mold them and re-create what they had lost. Unfortunately, back in those days the materials just wouldn't do all I wanted them to do. We had to use oils to make them soft, which I would never do now, and we didn't have the foams that we use now for reducing the weight of the forms. Now with the platinum silicone we use, the works are very body friendly, to say the least.

It's a natural progression for me to go from small figures, to larger figures...to more life -like figures, to silicone, which is the most life-like of all.

The female form and its' inherent beauty is the ultimate challenge for a sculptor to capture. It's a shame I only have one lifetime to learn it.

I saw an article on RD many years ago and it definitely lit a fire beneath me.

When you entered into the doll world, did you have any advice or help from other doll manufacturers? If you did, who was it? If you didn't, do you admire anyone that has already created a doll and why?

I think just knowing that it could be done helps a lot. Obviously we all have RealDoll to thank for opening up this market and increasing people's awareness of silicone and its possibilities. I never asked anyone for help. I just did my experiments and built up my knowledge and experience. We come up with new "tricks" all the time. It's often the littlest thing that can make a difference for a piece. I take a great deal of pride in knowing that we've done this on our own.

Last year I had tons of help from family and friends, and a great mold man, while setting up the newest studio. I really couldn't have done it without them. Everyone has their own special talents. I learn from my "helpers" everyday.

It has been rumored that you don't sculpt each of the faces for your doll or that you simply tweek the existing face to make it appear different. Is there anything you can tell me about this to dispel this rumor?

Sculpting faces is my thing. If I'm not sculpting, I'm not happy. I use lamp bases for the stands as I work on them and start the process simply by wrapping layers of aluminum foil into a sort of skull shape. Then various clays are layered on. It just comes naturally, now, after 30 years of practice!!

I hear you are currently working on a new face called "Isis?"

She's staring at me right now. (She would like to be finished please...I can hear her say) I don't have to show anyone my work as I progress...the face tells me when I'm done. One of the tricks is to just walk away when you're supposed to. People are not perfect. It's our idiosyncrasies that bring out our humanness. Our imperfections tell our story.One ear slightly higher than the other, etc. To do caricatures I had to know true anatomy. To create realism, I have to know how people speak with their eyes.

Can you tell me about this and how long does it usually take you to do one face?

Some of the more lively faces come out in a matter of days. If I work on them too long, it kills it.

Is there a reason why you create so many faces and have only one body at this point?

It took all I had to create, mold, and cast the first body. It's a daunting process. If I had all the time and money I could ask for, it would still be a challenging process. But, each adventure begins by putting on your shoes and stepping out the door...not knowing exactly where the paths will lead. I'm working on another body when I can manage to fit it in to the casting schedule. It's important that we get the orders out as close to on-time as possible.First things first.

Can you share with our readers if you are working on other bodies and the time involved?

The first body took a year to complete. I'm a real perfectionist. I can only hope the second body will not take as long to come to life.

I have heard that you came up with an original idea for the skeletal system that you use. Can you tell me about it and what the benefits are to this type of skeleton?

We kept it simple. There is nothing to wear out or break. That was the goal. The fact that she can get into wild positions with no fear of skeletal breakdown is a bonus!

Private Island Beauties have been compared to show differences in styles and details. Can you share some of the unique details of this original creation and what you are expressing in general about your doll?

I wanted her to be "hot". That is tough to define. But, as I was sculpting it, I knew when I had it. We body cast the hands and feet. We went through lots of models to finally find the very feminine parts we needed that would also fit the petite aspects of the doll. It's easy enough to body cast a whole person. You can mold faces as well. But, the trick is to bring a life like quality to them. Molds/castings of faces tend to be pretty lifeless. That's why I sculpt them.

I have heard that you are a true artist and do not use other people's ideas or modifications to create something no matter what it is when there are so many companies out there like Realdoll, Ruby 13 and many of the Japanese manufactures like Unison and Life Doll?

I wanted to see what my own idea of beauty would look like. It's a good start I think.

Why is your doll different and how do you manage to keep them at such a reasonable price?

We priced them to sell. We love taking and filling orders. Each order is big for us. After trying every type of silicone I could get my hands on, we decided to go with what we're using now. And, it's amazing how well it works. We keep tweeking formulas to get more and more life-like. I tried to not even look at the price. In the "art" world these pieces would be twice the price...to start. The doll world though is under a magnifying glass. I am a new company and I had to at least try to do everything better and cheaper. That's the plan Stan!

Are you using an inferior silicone as some have implied or are you using top of the line silicone?

Where do these rumors come from? One of my collectors called our Beauties "the Ferrari of the doll world." I loved that! We're not putting out a doll a day. That's not our goal. We're an art studio that creates life-like sculptures.

It takes us more than a day just to paint on the details to the face and body. Its also a full day for us to do all the pours it takes to get the breasts and tush as soft as they are. It's a tedious process. It's the way we do things.

With all the different heads you offer with your PIB body, which is the most popular and why?

Each face has her fans, but the Eden head is just so photogenic. The funny part is that she was just a two day sculpt.

Do you have an up-grade charge for a different skin tone color?

With the heavy cost to us for the colorants, we really should, but we don't. We just want to make great stuff. It's actually pretty cool when someone asks for something a bit different. We'd like to think that we can rise to the challenge. Plus, it keeps each piece different for us. I've never been into production. Making the same thing over and over....no way! So, if we can make these babes one of a kind, which invariably they are...it keeps us excited to come to the studio.

There has been nothing but praise from those that I have spoken with who have purchased a doll from PIB . They say that customer service is top notch and that you go the extra mile to insure that their money is well spent with you. What do you do that is different that is not all the glitz and glamour that some use to sell their dolls?

What....I don't have glamour??? Just look at this sequined dress I'm wearing!!! Actually, I've done about all the shameless self promotion I can. It's time for the work to speak for itself. Thankfully, my collectors are the best. And..they always let me know if we've screwed up. So far.so good.

I there anything you would like to say or mention about PIB - perhaps that the doll community and new readers in general might like to know about PIB as they contemplate which doll to add to their collection. Or perhaps a pitch to the first time buyer. This is your chance to blow your horn...let's hear it!

This was a really fun interview to do. Patrick was very accommodating to take time out of his usually busy days to answer my questions and allow me to get a feel for him and his company. I discovered that there is no hidden agenda to take down any doll company or to make anyone else look bad. He is a private person with a love for creating and getting his work noticed. The same could be said for most creative people as could be said of Matt McMullen of Realdoll, the one that started it all. Patrick had an idea and went for it even though there are other silicone doll companies out there. His goal it to create "art" that can be adored and benefit people for whatever reason. He is a great person and a fantastic artist!

Be sure to check out: www.privateislandbeauties.com. and feel free to contact Patrick with any questions you may have and he would be happy to answer them.

If you should ever find yourself shipwrecked, let's hope you're near Private Island and the Private Island Beauties that inhabit it...you may never send out an SOS :)

Tally ho.

Scoop