Ping Lau (“Ping” means “Peace” in Chinese) and raised and educated in the tropical, cosmopolitan island of Singapore. Much of her free time in childhood was spent drawing and painting.  However, she did not study art but majored in English Literature at the National University of Singapore. After graduating and immigrating in1989 to the United States where she now lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and pets, she decided to follow her ‘true calling’ and embark on a career in art.

 Although she has been painting all of her life and had illustrated children’s books and magazines as well as creating a large number of impressive paintings of mainly fantasy subjects in water-colour and mixed-media, she only began sculpting dolls in earnest when she realized that many people in the United States shared her fascination and love of dolls. There were many opportunities to explore the world of dolls in her new country and she was thrilled to see the work of one-of-a-kind artists who created dolls as works of art rather than mere children’s toys. She was also enthralled by the magic and nostalgia of antique dolls and figures in wax-museums.  

 Ping began experimenting and teaching herself to recreate the human form in three-dimension. She tried all the different types of mediums that were available to sculptors, all the while bearing in mind what she really wanted to capture in her sculpting – the true forms and joyous spirits of children and to create dolls that would appeal to both adults and children alike.

 “I believe the doll must appeal to children and to the child in us, otherwise it would be missing the point. It should have warmth and inspire love.”  

 After several years of learning - getting to know the sculpting mediums and translating her observations of children into her sculpture, Ping was finally confident enough to show her works to collectors and slowly began exhibiting her dolls around 1995.

 Ping also felt that she had a mission in her new country; she wanted to share and celebrate the beauty and diversity of children from all over the world with collectors in the West, especially the children of her Asian background.

“To bridge cultures and bring the world a little closer together, especially through the wonderfully joyous medium of doll art was I felt, something more than worthwhile for me to pursue.”          

 Her characteristically large-sized, meticulously detailed and expressive dolls depicting children of all ethnic groups reflect her keen observation and generous exposure to many different cultures through her life in Singapore and her travels around the world. Her dolls receive tremendous response and recognition whenever they are shown and are occasionally mistaken for real children.

 Ping’s realistic one-of-a-kind dolls, sculpted in translucent flesh-like polymer are sought after by collectors both in the United States and Europe. She is especially well known for her uniquely endearing Oriental babies. Her dolls have also been reproduced as quality limited editions in porcelain, resin and vinyl and sold through the television shopping and well-known doll companies.  She also creates commissioned portrait dolls, other unique custom dolls and sculptures and also teaches sculpting.        

 Despite the renown she has attained, she continues to strive to refine and broaden her skills as a doll artist. She hopes to sculpt ever more realistically styled dolls from more different cultures and reach people around the world with her beautiful ethnic children.

“It is such a privilege to be able to do my part in bringing people together and make the world just a little happier.”