Some times ago, I was contacted by Sharon from "A World of Creative People"to answer a few of her questions.
Sharon runs a beautiful BLOG about people's work whose creativity inspires her.
She has been so kind to introduce my world of felted dolls. Feel free to go over and have a look and grab a cup of tea, and enjoy the full article as well as the rest of the blog content !
I transcripted the Question /Answer here:
1.Please tell us your name and how old are you?
My name is laurence Bergeot Veréb, I am 45 years old (46 now!:) )
2. …. and could you tell us a little about your art..
I am creating art dolls out of wool. They are needle felted and human figures.
Needle felting is a very interesting technique that brings warmth and texture to my dolls.
I love trying intricate forms and solutions from a very humble material,wool, that anyone can handle. I also love to work on a fiber that animals produce yearly, so that it is very organic in its form and particularly convey to dolls .
Dolls convey a lot of humanity, they are objects that carries all the passions in a symbolic way. Creating art doll is a very liberating art expression , and allows to touch people in very different ways.
When needle felting, you create your own material (the felt) at the same time you create your shape. So that the doll is insulated with life along the process at its most, and I think it shows and people feel a soul behind the object.
As much it is easy a technique and not so intimidating, one might say even forgiving, I must say it is strainous work to transform a fiber that is naturally hairy, into smooth hopefully “light catching surface with a feel on it” when it is applied to human figures. And of course, the finer the details and intricate the shapes is the most difficult and time consuming.
Also running Feltoohlala as a brand is part of the doll process since I am selling my works, and it is as much effort of communication and care to do on a daily basis. A process to learn in a continuous way I am afraid, but oh so needed for sustaining my activity out of the hobby category.
3. What is your earliest creative memory?
This is a hard one...creativity is a way of expressing in life that is a response to the way you think, the way you see and make do in life....I am not sure it starts with a special event.
However I remember early “artistic” feelings, and recently came back to my memory of the time when I first saw exhibited sculptures in a museum at young age, and had a real emotional and intellectual shock.
I think basically seeing a sculpture out of its prior purpose made me realise that there was intelligency behind it, someone had to create and choose to express that particular form in three dimentions.Those pieces talked to me as they were exposed to be seen for themselves, out of urbanistic context and thus “looked all different”.
4. Do you ever suffer from a creative block and if so how do you get yourself out of it?
Not really...sometimes I do feel less creative in doll making, and it is always because I don’t find a good solution (a technical solution for exemple) or make my mind up on something. But then, I will go on other creative projects, often in miniature, or a child toy nowadays, just for myself, and it allows my brain to breathe and resolve the problem by itself so I can “successfully” go further back on my doll again.
5. Are you inspired by any one specific person?
I am inspired by people who carry their dream in real life, and have extra persistency in what they do. Also I particularly appreciate creativity when it is whimsical.
6. What is your favourite piece of work that you've created?
It is always the last one I am working on when I am working on it...till the next one!
The process might be the most important for me .Once the doll is completed , documentation photographs done, and a little promoting, I kind of loose interest of the piece itself. Till I have a sell, I then take time to rediscover the details and make sure i made my best at the moment and love to make the packaging.
7. What are your creative ambitions for the future?
I am still considering somewhat animating for a film...not necessarily with stop motion though even if with the use of dolls.
8. What do you do when you're not being creative?
I think being creative is something one cannot help but be. It shows in other areas of life if not strictly the arts. It is a way of living and thinking, live or die!.
Now if I am not making dolls, or films, I would certainly make something for my children to play with, or search for inspiration in the work of others.I love watching movies, read , and totally recreate myself at the contact of nature, so I love to go in the outdoors.
9. What 3 creative items would you take with you to a desert island?
Wool, one barbed needle felt needle and my foam board for comfort. I hardly really need anything else for my activity.
10. Tell us where we can find your work and your social media sites.
My dolls can be purchased through my etsy shop
https://www.etsy.com/people/feltoohlala,
Website and blog www.feltoohlala.com
Some of my dolls took residency in the city of Prague at the 7 design store on Misenska street 7 in the Czech Republic.
Facebook professional page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Feltoohlala/122823667774102?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/feltoohlala/
Again, thank you so much Sharon for your dedications to us who try to make the world a better place with few of a handful of love. Your post has been so laudatory that I feel I am as pink as the rose on my TEA's straw hat now!
Sharon runs a beautiful BLOG about people's work whose creativity inspires her.
She has been so kind to introduce my world of felted dolls. Feel free to go over and have a look and grab a cup of tea, and enjoy the full article as well as the rest of the blog content !
I transcripted the Question /Answer here:
1.Please tell us your name and how old are you?
My name is laurence Bergeot Veréb, I am 45 years old (46 now!:) )
2. …. and could you tell us a little about your art..
I am creating art dolls out of wool. They are needle felted and human figures.
Needle felting is a very interesting technique that brings warmth and texture to my dolls.
I love trying intricate forms and solutions from a very humble material,wool, that anyone can handle. I also love to work on a fiber that animals produce yearly, so that it is very organic in its form and particularly convey to dolls .
Dolls convey a lot of humanity, they are objects that carries all the passions in a symbolic way. Creating art doll is a very liberating art expression , and allows to touch people in very different ways.
When needle felting, you create your own material (the felt) at the same time you create your shape. So that the doll is insulated with life along the process at its most, and I think it shows and people feel a soul behind the object.
As much it is easy a technique and not so intimidating, one might say even forgiving, I must say it is strainous work to transform a fiber that is naturally hairy, into smooth hopefully “light catching surface with a feel on it” when it is applied to human figures. And of course, the finer the details and intricate the shapes is the most difficult and time consuming.
Also running Feltoohlala as a brand is part of the doll process since I am selling my works, and it is as much effort of communication and care to do on a daily basis. A process to learn in a continuous way I am afraid, but oh so needed for sustaining my activity out of the hobby category.
3. What is your earliest creative memory?
This is a hard one...creativity is a way of expressing in life that is a response to the way you think, the way you see and make do in life....I am not sure it starts with a special event.
However I remember early “artistic” feelings, and recently came back to my memory of the time when I first saw exhibited sculptures in a museum at young age, and had a real emotional and intellectual shock.
I think basically seeing a sculpture out of its prior purpose made me realise that there was intelligency behind it, someone had to create and choose to express that particular form in three dimentions.Those pieces talked to me as they were exposed to be seen for themselves, out of urbanistic context and thus “looked all different”.
4. Do you ever suffer from a creative block and if so how do you get yourself out of it?
Not really...sometimes I do feel less creative in doll making, and it is always because I don’t find a good solution (a technical solution for exemple) or make my mind up on something. But then, I will go on other creative projects, often in miniature, or a child toy nowadays, just for myself, and it allows my brain to breathe and resolve the problem by itself so I can “successfully” go further back on my doll again.
5. Are you inspired by any one specific person?
I am inspired by people who carry their dream in real life, and have extra persistency in what they do. Also I particularly appreciate creativity when it is whimsical.
6. What is your favourite piece of work that you've created?
It is always the last one I am working on when I am working on it...till the next one!
The process might be the most important for me .Once the doll is completed , documentation photographs done, and a little promoting, I kind of loose interest of the piece itself. Till I have a sell, I then take time to rediscover the details and make sure i made my best at the moment and love to make the packaging.
7. What are your creative ambitions for the future?
I am still considering somewhat animating for a film...not necessarily with stop motion though even if with the use of dolls.
8. What do you do when you're not being creative?
I think being creative is something one cannot help but be. It shows in other areas of life if not strictly the arts. It is a way of living and thinking, live or die!.
Now if I am not making dolls, or films, I would certainly make something for my children to play with, or search for inspiration in the work of others.I love watching movies, read , and totally recreate myself at the contact of nature, so I love to go in the outdoors.
9. What 3 creative items would you take with you to a desert island?
Wool, one barbed needle felt needle and my foam board for comfort. I hardly really need anything else for my activity.
10. Tell us where we can find your work and your social media sites.
My dolls can be purchased through my etsy shop
https://www.etsy.com/people/feltoohlala,
Website and blog www.feltoohlala.com
Some of my dolls took residency in the city of Prague at the 7 design store on Misenska street 7 in the Czech Republic.
Facebook professional page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Feltoohlala/122823667774102?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/feltoohlala/
Again, thank you so much Sharon for your dedications to us who try to make the world a better place with few of a handful of love. Your post has been so laudatory that I feel I am as pink as the rose on my TEA's straw hat now!
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