A Horse of Another Color

I have a commission to do a horse. At first it was supposed to be pink because the young lady it was being given to is young. Last night it was decided that it would be a blonde color. Not that I wouldn't have done a pink horse, I think one closer to a real horse would be better. I didn't want my creation to look like "My Little Pony".

The pattern is all designed now and I'll probably get started on it this afternoon. It's not due until Christmas so I do have time.

Long Time

I haven't posted in so long I've been thinking of dropping this blog. But when I think of giving up making bears my heart gets very sad.

Here is my newest bear made out of imported Belgian plush. The white stuff is made out of mohair. His name is Grrrover.

Inspired!

I just got back from the Austin show. I came back inspired with ideas for new critters. Not sure what they will be. I have a girl golly in mind (I bought a dress for her which should give me the nudge to get her done); plus I got a bunch of synthetics. Although I may just keep those out to stroke since they're so soft.

Today, however, I'm going to relax after my plane trip. As Ms. O'Hara says, "tomorrow is another day".

Texas

The retreat is over and I had a great time. I thought the class went well. I might have concentrated less on the bear I was needlefelting and looked to see how everyone else was doing but it was a learning experience so I'll know the next time.

The rest of the weekend was jam packed with lots of seminars. We made collars and hats; trapunto feet; and learned how to paint on leaves so that we could decorate our bears. I didn't participate in making shoes but I watched.

It was great to get together with my bear pals and spend time talking bears and other stuff.

Now it's on to all the projects I was inspired to do while I was there. The bear I needlefelted looked more like a lion. Could it have been the fact that I've been thinking about making one so that's what it turned out to be? I'm thinking that I'll re-do the head and make him more bearlike rather than make him into a lion.

In the spirit of the retreat I decided to do the Austin show (third time) this year and the Atlanta show (first time) so I'd better get some bears ready.

Getting Ready

The pattern is drafted; the material is ordered; and the prototype is well on it's way. I keep thinking that the end of March is a LONG way off but you know what they say, "time flies, no matter what you're doing".

My class description is also written and hopefully today it will be a little sunny out so I can take a picture of a bear with a needlefelted muzzle and send it off to Luann.

I've been in the bear spirit lately. I'm back to dyeing mohair and cutting out patterns (besides the one I'm doing for the class). I really have to be creative because my stash of mohair is so low my pawsibilities could be a little limited. However, some really interesting things could come out of it.

Things To Come

Another bear is close to completion--not the accenting or the final tweaking which should be done in the next couple of days.

I've decided that this will be my pattern for the class I'm teaching at the retreat that is being held in Fredricksburg, Texas, the last weekend in March. I think it will be just the right size--about 10-12 inches. There will be one miniature artist coming and I hope it's not too big for her.

This is my first attempt at teaching more than one person at a time so I'm glad it will be with friends.

Back To Bears

The bears have taken a big back seat to my life as evidenced by my lack of posting. I officially can't complain about people who don't update their blogs--I'm guilty!

But now, I'm happy to say, I'm back to creating again. I'll figure out my new camera and soon I'll have a few bears to post.

I'm looking forward to the bear retreat in Fredricksburg, Texas the end of March. I'm going to be teaching a class on needlefelting muzzles. I haven't decided how yet. It might take too long to do a whole muzzle and I have to decide if I just give the students just heads to work on what body will they put it on? Doing a class on just accenting eyes would be a five minute class.

I hope that after doing the class in Texas I'll have the confidence to teach a regular bear class here in Athens. It would be nice to get a bear community started here.

Wired

One of the drawbacks with moving is when you need an item to finish a critter; it's 1500 miles away. But, really thinking about it; I'm not going to quit making bears anytime soon and I can use the extra stuff I buy eventually.

Today I'm going to work on Uncle. I've been wanting to wire his arms and legs so he could move more like a monkey.

If time permits, I'll work on the dog which is so close to being finished. All the while, I've got a new creation running around in my head. Just like old times!

It's great to be back to the creating mode even if I have to go out and buy extra stuff.

A First!

I'm doing my first show in Georgia. It's a cool little gallery called Flat Penny Folk Art here in Athens. There'll be about ten exhibitors--some painters; some quilters; potters; and me! I may want to make some more creations for it. Even though I have enough for a show.

Athens is just what I needed to fuel my artist's soul! I believe I've found my niche.

Back to Creating

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. A lot has happened with the move to Georgia and trying to get myself established. My computer's been a little cantankerous (probably the user) and I haven't been able to update my website. Now, by some miracle, I've gotten it to work and I plan on re-vamping my site.

Athens is such a vibrant city and the artist community is very inspiring. A friend asked me if I thought my bears would change because I moved. I think that might be a possibility. I'm drawn to more traditional bears because of the gentle culture of the South; but, I'm also being drawn to crazy creatures since Athens has culture that's uniquely it's own.

The future looks bright and I'm warming up my creative thinking cap.

The show in Austin was great. Lots of collectors and I got to see some familar as well as some new faces.

Five of my creations were given new homes. One was carried around the show.

One small disappointment; I'll have to chastise the bears for not doing their job. A somewhat serious collector happened by my table and my guys couldn't even raise even the slightest smile. Even when she picked one of them up. I wasn't looking for her to buy but I did want her to be happy for a second. She was made happy at the table across the way from me so maybe my guys did their job and warmed her up.

Since Scrrrap was such a popular guy at the shows (both Albuquerque and Austin) I think I might make another one. Not the exact same, of course, but small.

I'm still working on that dog I planned to take to the shows. One of these days.

The Next Show

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been basking in the glow of a great Albuquerque show.

Now it's time to get ready for the Austin show. I've got three bears and a dog cut out to work on during the trip to Austin and a couple "truck bears" which are bears I work on while Ken is driving.

Back to bearing!

Inspiration

The time for the Albuquerque show is almost here and I'm down the wire. Most of my critters are done but there is just some tweaking that needs to be accomplished.

I finally got up the courage to "spot" my giraffe. My first attempt led me to want to name him measles. Then I decided his spots weren't really supposed to be spots so I made them bigger. Now I'm totally happy with her and she's ready for the show. My inspiration was my granddaughter Josie who loves giraffes. Josie, thanks for the inspiration!

Less Than A Month

The Albuquerque show is less than a month away. Although I have lots of bears; there are those that have grown tired of traveling to shows time and time again. So, on to new ones. I have three cut out and on their way to finishing. I had patterns drawn out for about six but figured I'd better quit while I'm ahead. I didn't want to turn into a manufacturing plant.

Thanks to Luann and the bear retreat I've gotten to like gollies a little better and may make at least one or two for the show. I have some black wool that my mother had that will work just fine.

The giraffe is progressing too. I procrastinated because I couldn't quite figure out how to make the face but yesterday I just forged ahead. It went from looking like a cow to maybe a dragon to what I think looks pretty close to a giraffe. I may put it in the B4B's auction and I may save it for Albuquerque.

Retreat's Over; Time to Move Forward

We had a wonderful retreat in Fredericksburg, Texas. I think I laughed more in three days than I did all last year!

I tried my hands at airbrushing; made a necklace; and did my first golly (picture attached). Most of the time was spent discussing the bear world. It was great being with other artists to discuss their techniques and learn a few tricks.

Now it's time to switch into high gear for the two shows coming up and the auction I'm participating in.

Remember When?

A few blogs ago I talked about a bear that I didn't like and I re-did. Here he is. I like him better.

I'm getting ready to leave for a bear retreat in Fredricksburg, Texas. Just eight bear artists getting together to share ideas and take a few classes. It will be a lot of fun.

When I get back the Bid4Bear auction will have started and I will start listing the 6-8 bears I've committed to. I'm starting off with a rabbit. I'm also going to list another rabbit on the Teddy Patch.

I also just finished a double jointed bear from the material I got from the Netherlands. No picture yet.

Sticking My Neck Out

It's been a while since I've posted. I guess I've said that a time or two! I've been trying to balance life with my creationing.

Now I'm getting ready for two shows; an auction; and possibly putting some rabbits on the Teddy Patch.

The auction is Bid4Bears Artist Power campaign. Several artists are getting together to provide another outlet for bear collectors to bid on bears that isn't e-bay. I've signed up for the first group which is one bear (or critter) every week or ten days. It's no guarantee of a sale but I hope it will bring some attention to the alternative auction sites and breathe some life into the bear community.

I'm about to finish a double jointed bear that I'm making from my Netherlands mohair and a giraffe. I thought I was a little farther along on the giraffe until I realized I hadn't put in the mane or the tail. I guess I need a little more experience with them so I don't miss any steps.

Two Things

Or, maybe the title should be never (or at least very seldom) satisfied. I made a bear out of material I wasn't entirely thrilled with. Other people liked this bear but I felt I could do something I liked better. Right now I'm not so sure but I took him apart; changed his paw pads so I could highlight him them with paint; and took his head apart so I could needlefelt a face on him. I'm at the point now where I'm vascillating between finishing what I've started and tearing the head apart again to re-do it with a different mohair--I don't have any more of the current head fabric. Only the next few days will tell. If I do a little needlefelting everyday I should be done.

Number two is a bear made from scraps I got from an e-bay auction. There's two similar colors of mohair but different finishes so I was able to cut out about a 13" bear.

I'm also contemplating more critters from this batch of material. Maybe a giraffe? I was thinking about an owl but WHO knows. Sorry couldn't resist.

The Teeth Have It

Here's another rabbit. Boy are they multiplying! It's kind of a quick picture that I took before heading off to the doll show.

His teeth are made from Sculpey. Kind of hard to go back to more normal animals after him IMHO.

This is the reason I create. It's what keeps me fueled to keep going on the next critter.

About Time

Time flies no matter what you're doing. Since February is almost over I thought I might get a word in.

I just did a doll show in New Braunfels, Texas. Six of my critters found new homes. I gave one of my bears away to a woman who'd bought two bears from me and she also bought two bears from me when I did a show in Fredericksburg, Texas.

I'm also looking forward to a bear retreat in Fredricksburg the end of March. Ten bearmakers will be getting together for a weekend of classes and bear talk and general bear bonding. I'm looking forward to being with bear buddies.

Now it's back to what to make again. I've got a boxful of fabric I won from e-bay that's been tempting me and a huge piece of long-piled mohair that could be a dog. I'd like to get a few more new things done since I'm doing a show in Albuquerque on May 20 and another one in Austin on June 24.