Kristel Jacobs

In the May Issue of the CDAA Newsletter (Canadian Doll Artists Association), a very nice article appeared about my work, written by Joy Liddy.

Thank you very much Joy, for giving me the opportunity to present my work to your members!

Joy also asked me some very interesting questions, and I would like to share them with you :

Kristel was kind enough to answer some questions for me:

What has influenced me?

I get really influenced by beauty, that can be a little robin sitting on

a tree in my garden, a touching movie (for instance epic movies such as Legends of the Fall, or fantasy movies, such as Edward Scissorhands, Lord of the Rings trilogy), a beautiful song (Coldplay.)

I am also really sensitive about colours; each colour brings about a different emotion. This I learned in the Academy of Arts in Kapellen, where I have been an art student for over 9 years now (6 years of Model drawing and 1 year of Oil painting).

What tips would I give to those looking to designing their own :

Well, first of all, enjoy yourself! Work from your heart and let your fantasy free. I read in a book that they are 5 stages that artists go through; the first is: the primitive stage - art as children practise it - intuïtive and you can sense that it was so much fun making the piece! The second stage is when you notice that you are starting to improve your technical skills, you are getting the hang of it. The third stage is when you become inventive in your art, you are starting to experiment. The fourth stage is when you become innovative. And the last stage - which not many artists have managed to reach ;-) - is genius.

So what I'm trying to say is: if you really love what you do, this will reflect in your work and people will notice it. And then later on, if you have had time enough to practise and to grow, your work will start to evolve and it will get more and more beautiful and refined.

What recognitions have you received over the years :

I have had the pleasure to be featured in various magazines in the US (3 times in the Doll Collector, and an article in the Art Doll Quarterly,) Germany (Dolls/Puppen) and the Netherlands (Poppen). I was also 'Artist of the Month' on an Israëlian and a Dutch website (see also the 'publications' page on my website) and, of course, getting this wonderful opportunity to be issued in your beautiful newsletter... This really means a lot to me, it is a recognition that is highly appreciated!

Why did I delve into the designing side of doll making :

I believe that Doll making allows you to express yourself in various ways. It is a combination of designing, sculpting, painting, sewing, being a hair-dresser, figuring out practical problems. It is often hard work but at the end of the process, the reward is so fulfilling! And then, if you get such sweet comments of people, f.i. someone wrote in my guestbook 'You really made me dream today", well that's all the reward you need.

From the newsletter editor: Thank you Kristel so much for spending time with us and sharing your thoughts!

Why not visit Kristel at her website and drop her a line to let you know how much you enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her delightful dolls.