Artist Biography: Jennifer Hepler Takens
Based in a tiny workshop in Battle Creek, Michigan, Jennifer Hepler Takens creates a menagerie of oddity and wonder, on purpose. Her characters are like threads; if you grasp lightly and follow them they will take you to a place of wide-eyed frivolity. Her art dolls are created to awaken a childlike sentimentalism. Their stories are akin to magical spells, taking you home. 2019 celebrates 10 years of creating artist dolls in a professional capacity. Jennie arrived at the art of doll making after keeping shop with her grandmother for many years. The two started a Victorian shop after she attended University, seeking knowledge in the areas of business and marketing. Jennie and her grandmother, also called Jennie, made things for the shop. It wasn’t long before a pull toward the macabre was quite evident. Jars of Parisian buttons, Titanic era dresses, and artist yarns drape across her workshop, conjuring inspiration and magic.
her works are created in small collections in a homespun fashion. They are each one of a kind celebrating the joy of odd things and the beauty of imperfection.
Jennie’s work can be found in collections internationally, gallery exhibitions in the US and at the famed Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show in Marshall, MI. This is the in-person artist appearance scheduled for 2022.
Based in a tiny workshop in Battle Creek, Michigan, Jennifer Hepler Takens creates a menagerie of oddity and wonder, on purpose. Her characters are like threads; if you grasp lightly and follow them they will take you to a place of wide-eyed frivolity. Her art dolls are created to awaken a childlike sentimentalism. Their stories are akin to magical spells, taking you home. 2019 celebrates 10 years of creating artist dolls in a professional capacity. Jennie arrived at the art of doll making after keeping shop with her grandmother for many years. The two started a Victorian shop after she attended University, seeking knowledge in the areas of business and marketing. Jennie and her grandmother, also called Jennie, made things for the shop. It wasn’t long before a pull toward the macabre was quite evident. Jars of Parisian buttons, Titanic era dresses, and artist yarns drape across her workshop, conjuring inspiration and magic.
her works are created in small collections in a homespun fashion. They are each one of a kind celebrating the joy of odd things and the beauty of imperfection.
Jennie’s work can be found in collections internationally, gallery exhibitions in the US and at the famed Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show in Marshall, MI. This is the in-person artist appearance scheduled for 2022.
Art is about finding yourself. It's about realizing
Ahhh...
my sweet deer girl was my first creation of 2017, she is now in a private collection, but I love her soft magic and I wanted you to see her...
my sweet deer girl was my first creation of 2017, she is now in a private collection, but I love her soft magic and I wanted you to see her...
