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Testimonial

After viewing the testimonials, scroll down to see the workshop selections. Pay for the classes on the left sidebar.


Hi Nancye,

I got the stash box today. I love it. It is full of so many wonderful things. I love the stamps. The fabric scraps and lace are wonderful. When I opened it it seemed like I would never come to the bottom of the box. I could make dolls for a month using the things in this box and still not get to the bottom and I make a lot of dolls.
Diane

Nancye ! I cannot believe how awesome all your stuff came out! I absolutely love every piece!
Sheri DeBow

Heads and Faces Workshop...
This workshop is beyond great! It is chock full of how-to's and exactly what doll makers are thirsty for. (This class should be a required class for Nancye Members!!!) The foundation it provides is broad, simple and effective. Doll makers can launch a thousand faces from this class. ...
Sharyn Johnson

Doll Classes
I appreciate your doll classes! I absolutely LOVE them, but the vintage dolll? OMG! The techniques are just wonderful, and your tutorials leave no room for questions...you explain and photograph each step so clearly! Can't wait to see what else you come up with! Big hugs
Anita Van Hal

All Classes/Workshops are on going. Don't leave home to take a workshop. Take it on line in the convenience of your own home.

Scroll down to see the Workshops

(1) Pay the sign up fee to the left.

(2)You will be sent an invitation. Make sure your pay pal email is the address you want your invitation sent to.

(3) When you get your invitation, come on in and set up your personal page and meet up with your old friends.

(4) Go to the workshops/Group page begin

(5) Take the class, make some dolls, meet new friends but most of all have fun!

Barb Kobe

Tell us about yourself and how you became a doll maker.

Before I had children in 1982 and 1984 and my art career was working as a professional graphic artist. Up until then I would never call myself an artist nor own that I had a creative mind – I always said I was a production artist that helped others visualize their ideas, but don’t ask me to create from my imagination. The pivotal point came during a facilitator training about self-esteem and parenting. At mid-week in the training I made a decision to become conscious and grow. As I parented my children (then 2 and 4) with this new information and worked on their self-esteem I re-parented myself. An important person (a mentor) in my life asked me to draw some characters for a program she was developing. I told her that I couldn’t draw and she said, “I think you can and I’ll wait for you to decide you can.” That comment gave me permission to take a risk and begin on my path of creative discovery. Later on, another person said to me, “Oh, Barbara, you’re so good at art, of course you’ll be a good writer.” This again gave me permission to try writing. Once my creative juices started boiling I couldn’t be stopped. I became a creating and learning machine. The more I created the more I wanted to know about creativity and myself. I noticed that when I would do art with my children I would give them permission to be creative, to take risks and find out “what happens if”. I love the feeling of creating and facilitating others being creative.
In 1989, in attempt to teach my children about emotional communication, I created a group of characters called The Endangered Feelings Animals (Angerilla, Crynoceros, Trifearatops and Happypotomus). First I drew them, then I designed puppets. I used them with my children, and they used them with me. Eventually I mass manufactured them for school counselors and social workers. I also created some other little soft sculpture dolls called Numbfull and The Fulls (Tearfull, Fearfull, Ragefull and Joyfull) and mass manufactured them. As I made each of these soft sculptures I would work through my feelings….anger issues when making Angerilla, grief with Crynoceros. I began to realize that making art changed my emotional state. I noticed that I could take my anger out of my body and have a conversation with it by having Angerilla sitting right next to me (or any of the others). When I would share my puppets with others we would have long conversations about feelings and I realized that many people were stuffing their feelings and had never learned how to talk about feelings. In producing these characters I learned about myself and the business aspects of art.
At the same time I was raising my kids, making puppets, and producing an occasional art job I moved into an educational mode. My first education experience came in the form of Neuro-Linguistic Programming certification. I discovered learning style theory and communication styles among other things. I was empowered in my learning style and realized that I was an intelligent woman who processed information visually. I learned mind mapping and began, for the first time, to consciously take in information and think for myself. I then decided that I wanted to go back to school and complete my BA. I started by taking some art classes at a community college and to make a long story short I graduated in 1999 with my BA in psychology and honors; with an art therapy focus. I paid for my entire education with the money I made from making my feeling creations.
In between I kept very busy saying YES! to any experience that came along. I had my own company called Visualize through which I designed and manufactured therapeutic dolls and puppets focusing on the subject of emotional intelligence. I facilitated parenting/self-esteem classes and small business groups. Through my university I designed an adolescent girls’ self-esteem support group curriculum and facilitated those groups for four years. I conducted various workshops, presentations and classes covering a variety of subjects: self-esteem; parenting; emotional intelligence; child development and creativity. I taught art classes through an art center to all ages. I got involved in the Odyssey of the Mind program, a creative problem solving competition. I coached creativity, judged creativity and training creativity coaches.
Ten years ago I decided that I was tired of making the big puppets. I went to the craft section of a bookstore one night and a book sealed in cellophane fell at my feet. It was called MOTHER PLAYS WITH DOLLS by elinor peace bailey. I figured this was a sign so I bought it and read it that night. It was filled with information about how dollmaking could affirm my process; that dollmaking could be used to nurture my creative spirit. I decided I was going to try this. I wrote a letter to elinor thanking her for being alive and writing the book. She called me several days later from California and when I asked her what I should do about the puppets she said, “Honey, if you’re tired of doing them, stop. Something else will move in.” Again another mentor, another permission to change a belief and take action. It wasn’t long after that I witnessed my first show of art dolls, met the artist and gave myself permission to try out this art form. I loved it from the start and have been making art dolls ever since. I’ve had several shows since then and usually sell everything I produce. I am especially interested with art and healing. The most of my dolls focus on my emotional and health issues. I have discovered that my creations speak to many others. I am nurtured by my dollmaking. You can read my story about How I Became a Healing Artist on my website www.barbkobe.com.

How long have you been creating dolls?
20 years

What are your muses?
Nature, emotion, story, shadow work, anything Jungian, art and healing

About your process...tell us about that and your favorite part of it.

I love making faces out of all kinds of materials, so I tend to have a “palette” of faces laying around my studio at any one time…right now there’s about 30 heads speaking up at me wanting to be embodied. Sometimes I drawn to work with color and material and play with it all to see what shows up. Other times I set an intention to create an image of an emotion that I’m struggling with. I love the design part; I love working with color and texture; and I love making faces. I want my doll to be a whole design, meaning I want everything to work together, the face, body, color, textures, embellishments. I don’t like looking at a doll that has a face made with a purchased mold that is slapped onto the doll without consideration of the entire design.

Do you have a favorite material that you like to work in?

Things from nature, especially twisted branches and roots. Air dry clays like Paperclay and Model Magic, and fabrics and fibers. I love creating the fabrics for my dolls.

I know that you teach and I am wondering where, when and how often you teach?

I hold an Open Studio in my home in Crystal, MN every Tuesday evening. I teach at Maureen Carlson’s retreat center in Jordan, MN. I offer online classes…my Medicine Doll class has been going on for five years. Once a year I have been offering The Creative Journey. I love designing educational experiences and have more designed ready to publish. I am completing Artella’s ARTbundance Creativity Coaching Training and am excited about adding coaching to my teaching.

Finally how can we find you and your work?
www.barbkobe.com
barbkobe@gmail.com
I have a show coming up in January 2010 at Robbin Gallery in Robbinsdale, MN
I also plan to start selling my dolls online

List any of your sites, blogs, selling spots etc..
http://healingdoll.blogspot.com/index.html