Hand Made
Teddy Bears/Photography
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Biography: Artist Statement: I make quality hand made teddy bears from found fabrics and garments, which deserve another hurrah. I also make teddy bear photo cards and framed prints which I have named the "Out and About" series, showing my bears with art and in nature. I believe there is a treasure trove of ideas and things waiting to be discovered and tried. "So much to experience and so little time." I have created three-dimensional things most of my life. I'm always up to something. At the University of Wisconsin I studied drawing, painting and silver smithing. I received my associate degree there and then entered the floral industry. I traveled extensively in the U.S. teaching and demonstrating design and technique at floral conventions and in-house design shows. I was a commentator of floral design for others, as well as presenting symposiums of my own work. Working with fabrics has always been a favorite interest. I've been lucky to receive a few quilting awards and I've sold original cross-stitch patterns to Leisure Arts Publications. The fascination with teddy bears began after purchasing a 14-inch bear and realizing that it was hand made. I will always wonder who made him. I began to research the art of making teddy bears. It was a challenge to find the correct quality parts to create a traditional bear: hand made German glass eyes, hard board joints, thin washers, tap bolts, lock nuts and cotter pins. Mohair was impossible to find locally and, when I did find a source, I found it was very expensive. I decided therefore to purchase winter coats from thrift stores for my experimenting. That was a great happenstance as I realized that there is a world of "found materials" which deserve a second chance at life. In the teddy bear world my bears are considered "naked", meaning not dressed. However, collars are added by recycling belts and various buttons from my collections. The teddy bear patterns I found at the time weren't great and so I decided to create my own. It wasn't long before people were asking that I create bears from no longer used, but cherished garments, which included old fur coats, for their families and friends. The majority of my work is now custom orders. My bears now reside all over the U.S., as well as Australia, England, Germany and Spain. My latest endeavor is a line of photo greeting cards complimenting the hand made bears. I cal these "Baraboo Teddy Bears: Out and About." My bears have posed on the toes of the Statue of Liberty, the harbors of Duluth and many places in between, including Sauk County and my own back yard. Some cards make one laugh out loud and some make one pause in reflection. My mantra is a message from my father: "May the simple pleasures of life always be within reach."
Photos of artwork:
Teddy Bear in
My Garden
Teddy Bear in My Garden
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