Having spent most of my life in rural West Cork, Ireland and urban Frankfurt, Germany, I am now based in Edinburgh where I work as both a freelance Illustrator and teach Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. My work is best known for its atmospheric and playful use of mixed media and large-scale cut-out silhouettes, featured as temporary or permanent site-specific installations, often involving stories from local communities. My further interests lie within childrens’ and adult illustration for print as well as animation.
For enquiries and commissions or just to say hello contact me by email: astridjaekel@gmail.com
Clients and Collaborations include
Barrington Stoke, Birlinn Books, Borders Book Festival, Cambo Estate, City of Edinburgh Council, Creative Mornings, Creative Stirling, Dunbar Harbour Trust, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature, English Heritage, Essential Edinburgh, Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, Edinburgh World Heritage, Floris Books, Hodder Children's Books, The National Library of Scotland, The National Museum of Scotland, Mason Institute, One Little Indian Records, Edinburgh Old Town Development Trust, Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, Provost Skene's House Museum, Pushkin Press, Routledge Books, RSPB, St Andrews Botanic Gardens, The Open University/BBC Partnership, The Prince's Foundation, Scottish Power, The University of Edinburgh, Upland, Wild South Esk, Wigtown Book Festival
Press links
CreativeMornings interview
XpoNorth podcast
The AOI Interview with Astrid Jaekel, WIA2019 Professional Site Specific Category winner
ITV Scotland - Border Life
Art Mag Wigtown Book Festival 2018
The National Scots Town given Makeover by Edinburgh Artist
The List What's on at the Wigtown Book Festival 2018
The Edinburgh Reporter Secret Edinburgh adapts from Book to Tour
Edinburgh Evening News 1000 years of Edinburgh history in 101 objects
Edinburgh Evening News Artist helps Rose Street bloom in Winter
The Telegraph Wigtown Book Festival, day two: the town's got talent
STV Edinburgh Mastering Shadow and Light with local artist Astrid Jaekel
Herald Scotland Artist's medieval stained glass windows for our disposable age
Art in Scotland Rose Street Designs
Residencies
2019/20 Artist in Residence at StAnza, Scotland's National Poetry Festival
2015 and 2016 Artist in Residence at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Ireland
2014 Meet the Maker weekend residency at the Barony Centre, Craft Town Scotland
2013/14 Artist in Residence for the Wigtown Book Festival and Spring Fling
2012/13 Artist in Residence at Edinburgh College of Art
Awards/Recognition
Winner of the Association of Illustrators (AOI) World Illustration Awards 2019 (in the category of site-specific / Professional)
Shortlisted for the Association of Illustrators (AOI) Illustration Awards 2015
Winner of the Kelpies Design and Illustration Prize 2014
Shortlisted for the Association of Illustrators (AOI) Illustration Awards 2014
Shortlisted for the Adrian Henri Prize for Poetry in Art 2013
Shortlisted for the Piepenbrock Art Sponsorship Award, University of Osnabrück
Selected Exhibitions
2020 'Plastik', Byre Theatre, St Andrews
2017 + 2018 100 Days Project Scotland, Edinburgh College of Art
2017 'Field Works - Arts and Ethics Research Group', BerlinBlue Art, Germany
2016 'Oh Buoy', Out of the Blue Drillhall, Edinburgh
2016 'Arts + Ethics Exhibition', World Congress of Bioethics, Edinburgh International Conference Centre
2016 'Behind the Scenery - Folk of the Old Town', Scottish Storytelling Centre
2015 'World Illustration Awards', Association of Illustrators, Somerset House, London
2015 'Escapade - ECA Illustration show', Doubtfire Gallery
2014 'Healing Hands: From Vitruvian to Machine Man', in collaboration with the Mason Institute, Tent Gallery, Edinburgh College of Art
2014 'One Thousand Cranes', O3 Gallery, Oxford Castle
2014 'D&G|IN: Spring Fling @ Home', Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
2014 'D&G|Out', The Lighthouse, Glasgow
2013 'In Residence', Edinburgh College of Art
2013 'Adrian Henri Prize for Poetry in Art', Twenty Twenty Gallery, Much Wenlock
2013 'RBS Museum Lates', National Museum of Scotland
2012 'Telling Stories', Doubtfire Gallery Edinburgh
2012 Royal Society of Marine Artists, Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2012 Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show, Edinburgh
2011 'First Fridays', Creative Industries Network. Design Collective Stirling, The Stirling Arcade
2011 'Wolperdinger', Axolotl Gallery, Edinburgh
2011 'The Game of Roles', Adam House Theatre Edinburgh
2010 'Arte Regionale V', Exhibition Hall Osnabrück
2010 'Begegnung 8', LWL-Clinic Lengerich
2010 'Strom', University of Osnabrück exhibition project, RWE Osnabrück
2010 'Wood and Water,' Galerie im Fenster, University of Osnabrück
2009 'Alte Apotheke neue Kunst', Old Apothecary, Landschaftsverband Osnabrück, Bad Iburg