Hello Laura, why dolls? You model and sew beautifully... why not a statue?

Because I don't like the eyes of statues... they are empty and lost somewhere. My goal, on my dolls, is expression on my dolls and if you can't meet the eyes of a sculpture... you can't "feel" the expression.

How long have you been making dolls?

I did my first Cernit doll the year 1994 for my first show at Disney World in USA.

By what are you inspired, what motivates you?

When I was a child I was usual to travel around the world because my dad was a musician. I was usual to live in the hotels, so ... not easy to have real friends, my best friends were my dolls. But I did not like the look of my dolls, so I promised to myself, that in the future I will be able to do a doll just a little girl.

For that reason, big part of my dolls is inspired by real children in the real life.

You had a huge success with your dolls in Prague there was great interest in them. We know that "your" material is Cernit. What the Cernit is?

I love Cernit! With Cernit you can do everything! Cernit is translucent...looks like real skin, you may mix different colors to obtain the favourite shade...

Cernit is polymer clay and you may sculpt or model it like the traditional clay.

I am working on Cernit from the year 1994 and I will never stop to use it.

How long the doll from Cernit lasts? What the Cernit resists and what the Cernit doesn't resist etc?

I still have in my house one of the first doll I did the year 1994 and she is perfect.  Cernit is like porcelain, you may wash it with a soft cloth ... you have to take care of a cernit doll just from the direct sun light. Of course, if some break lines happens... it depends of a bad oven or a wrong time for baked.

When the doll after all breaks down. What then?

This is one of the reasons because I love Cernit: is very easy to repair.

Is it a good investment? - This is maybe a stupid question ...

It depends of the artist! LOL

Do you like your dolls? They are "just" a piece of art or they are something more?

I love my doll, ALL my dolls, because if when a head is finish and I do not like her, I broken it, just to take off the eyes (so expensive).

To me they are MUCH more than a doll or a piece of art...as always I say "THEY ARE MY LIFE". I can't live without sculpt new dolls...

Your dolls are emotional, they express many feelings and moods ... do they reflect in them your personality?

I don't know... often, when I am sad I sculpt laughing dolls, but for sure they reflect the personality of my kids... or better their expressions.

Dolls are often young girls - more often women, fabulous creatures - fairies, princesses etc. ...   Your dolls are actually little girls. Why?

Nono... I always did little girls and adolescents; it depends of my moods... sometimes I prefer to sculpt little girls and then adolescents.

When you create ... whom or what do you think about?

Ah! Very strange! When I work on a doll...I am not in this world, I feel like "in trance"... closed in a crystal ball, maybe for that reason when I watch a finish head I am always surprised!

Your dolls are known, the world-known celebrities like Demi Moore own them. Can you tell something about it?

Demi Moore was my first VIP collector, and maybe thanks to her I had success in USA. She is such a sweet simple lady... her dream was to open a doll museu

m in New York... but it is still a dream. After Demi Moore I had other VIP collectors: Ron Howard (art director), Rai Liotta (actor), Robin Williams, and also Celine Dion bought my doll as wedding present for Barbra Streisand.

Is there any doll which you are never going to sell? The doll, who lives with you in your home - perhaps in your studio...

Yes, I have 8 dolls that I will never sell. They were created in a special time of my life, maybe they are not the best ones... but they are so important to me.

About all there is one doll dedicated to my dad who taught me to love animals... I believe that in the world there is not enough money to buy her.

The name of that doll is ACCUSATION... I am sending the photo... you may understand the name.

For whom the dolls Laura Scattolini are intended?

For particular collectors. For a person who when watch to a my doll may remember the expression of my doll and not how the dress is.

She is special... she is gorgeous Laura. It's strange, but looking at her my own old childhood memories comes to my mind. I suspect Laura, that your dolls are magical beings who holds up a mirror to our inner being and quietly talks with us about it. And I think that this is the true definition of art dolls Laura Scattolini. Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting with you and your dolls - maybe this year at the Doll Prague exhibition in Prague.

With Laura Scattolin spoke Bohdan Klátilová