Willcox

I have listed a new bear last night on ebay, his name is Willcox.

He is Kermode or Spirit bear, which is a white variant of a black bear.  I love black bears the best, so this way I still get to make one.

I have figured out a new easier way to open and close the eyes.  It is still a struggle, but this new way has cut quite a few hours off of the process.

I also took an airbrushing class last summer with artist Judi Paul.  (In my opinion she is the master in the teddy bear world when it comes to airbrushing.)  So now after many years of only shading by hand, I finally got the nerve to start airbrushing with the bears for the Philly show.  It makes a big difference on these light bears.  It adds depth to the fur.  What I like best that the fur stays very soft to the touch. 

 

One thing that is very important to me is the bear’s profile.  I have worked hard at getting the head to sit forward on the body.  Seems like a silly thing to care about.  This picture to me makes it worth all the trouble.  He sits just like a little bear should.

And cute butt shots are something else that I work for.  It’s not as easy as you would think to get a bears legs pulled in nice a straight when on all fours.
Willcox will be on ebay till Sunday, 6/9/13.  I hope if you get a chance you will pop over and visit him there. 

Back From The Show

I am back from Philadelphia with a lighter suitcase.  I am so happy to say that all the bears sold during the Friday evening show that was held for the convention goers.  Since everyone that purchased a bear was there for the weekend they kindly allowed me to keep the bears on the table for the public show on Saturday.  I have updated my website with pictures of the bears I took to the show.  I have also added lots of pictures to my Facebook page, you can view them here, I keep the page public, so even if you do not have an account you should still be able to see them.

 

I took one special bear to the show, well actually a two bear set.  There was a OOAK sale and competition on the first night of the convention.  I thought about this piece for months.  I knew that the pieces shown here would be spectacular, and that I had to have a bear that would be noticed amongst all the beauty.  I thought about dressing the bear to help it stand out, but in the end I left the bear undressed.  I did make her big, she was 23”, the largest bear I have ever made. 

I was allowed to bring her into the room and place her into her designated spot.  I spent about fifteen minutes or so brushing and arranging her just right.  I tilted her head back so that she would be gazing up at the passersby, clutching at her teddy friend.  I named my piece “A Teddy for Bear.” I was one of the first ones in with my piece so I had no idea what anyone else had done.

That evening I walked into that room and I actually got teary eyed at the beauty.  The work was spectacular, both the dolls and the bears. Everyone had put out their very best. I knew in that instant I had not done enough. 

We were all given ballets and were only allowed to vote in one category, either dolls or bears.  The artists were allowed four votes, and the collectors allowed two.  There would be four artist awards given and two collector awards given in each category.

I did have many people tell me over the next couple of days how much they liked Shush, (Shush means bear in Navajo)  I also had quite a few people tell me that she was looking at them.  There were many people there who had never seen a realistic style teddy bear, and they were interested.

At the final dinner on Saturday evening the awards were announced, my name was called first, and called twice.  Shush had one both, the Beverly Port Award of Excellence given by the artists and the collectors.

I was truly surprised, they had to tell me to stand up, I just sat there dumbfounded.  I do think the time I spent in the room with her making sure she was “looking” at people made a difference. Sometimes the smallest details mean a lot. 

It is a true honor for me to stand her among this group of incredibly talented people.  I will never forget it.

I have spent the better part of seven months preparing for this show.  I have not have anything to show here for all that time, so I have been quiet.  I look forward to getting back to work and posting more again.  Next year I am hoping a place opens up for me at Hugglets in London.  The show is not till September, so I have lots of time to work and post till I need to be quiet again.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Tomorrow morning.  Headed to Philadelphia for the Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention.  The show is open to the public on Saturday. 

There are 12 bears here, I actually made thirteen, one was for a trade.  I have one more though to take his place.

I 

I look forward to all the fun, and I hope to see some of you there.

Slowly Finishing

It has been a long six months since I started getting ready for the Philadelphia Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention in Philadelphia next month.  The convention is the whole weekend, with a public show on Saturday, May 4th. I am almost ready.  I have not had a bear to show in a long while, but soon will have plenty. 

This is a picture of Shush and I, she is the largest bear I have ever made, and I would say the most realistic. 

We hope to see some of you there in Philly.

Getting Show Ready

I have not been here blogging lately because I have had nothing to show.  I have been getting ready for The Artist Doll and Teddy Bear Convention. The convention runs from May 2-4 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, with a public show on May 4th.  In order to be prepared with plenty of bears I began work in October.  This is where I am today.

Twelve bears, no faces yet, but we are coming along.  I have set a pace for myself.  I am bound and determined to avoid the stress and rush that I usually have before a show.  I have not worked like this for many years when I would do shows regularly.

I usually make one bear and a time from start to finish.  The way I am working now, working on one a time only till the bear is ready for a face, has allowed the work to flow easier because I am repeating.  I am enjoying the repetitiveness. My plan all along was to have twelve bears ready to begin faces by February 1st, I am ready. I have just to add some ears to the little reddish brown fellow in the front.

This will be the conventions third year, I participated the first year, and I loved it. If you are an artist doll, or artist teddy bear lover, this is the place to be.  To spend a whole weekend with like-minded people, attending demonstrations, then eating, drinking, and talking bears and dolls is a wonderful experience. The price for the weekend includes food, drink, and demonstrations, as well as the show. 

The hotel where the convention is taking place has offered a special room rate.  It is very close to the airport, and the hotel offers a free shuttle.  I will fly in Wednesday evening, so that I can take a workshop that is offered on Thursday.  I will not leave the hotel (no need to) till Sunday morning when I get back on the plane to come home.

For those of you who are close and can not come for the weekend, there is a public show on Saturday.

If you click on the picture you will go to the conventions home page.  There you will fine lots of details, including artist lists.  There is a PDF show booklet with hour by hour plans, seminars and workshops offered.

I hope to see some of you there.

Joyous Holiday

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