Yesteryear …
“Calhoun”, my first sculpted bear is on the left in the photo above, with my second bear, “Gunther” on the right. The photo of me and “Gimley” is circa 2010.
Creativity has always been a part of my life. Around 1994, I started feeling a gentle urge to try sculpting. It wasn’t something already in my wheelhouse and I didn’t pay attention to the urgings at first. But then I met a lady who used a polymer clay called Cernit to sculpt dolls. Many of them were fashioned after real children. Having a toddler of my own at the time, I asked her to teach me the techniques of sculpting polymer clay so I could create a likeness of my own child. This was the beginning of a most wonderful time of my life; One that I could never have imagined or even BELIEVED, if I could have imagined it!
After completing a doll that bore a striking resemblance to my own toddler, I began sculpting whimsical teddy bear faces. I created patterns for their bodies and sewed them from mohair and other fabrics. By the completion of each bear, I had named them and assigned them an imaginary personality. When I had finished making eight or so bears, I took them to a Doll and Teddy Bear Show in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Several of them were “adopted” at that first show and I was moved by how well they were received. I didn’t know at the time that there are avid teddy bear collectors. Several people said I had found an untapped niche’ in the market, and suggested I contact a couple of teddy bear magazines. This was before every household had a computer, so I didn’t know there were magazines dedicated to the artistry of teddy bear making and collectors. I was given contact information for one such magazine called Teddy Bear & Friends, published in the U.S. Early one afternoon, I mustered up the courage to pick up the phone and call. As they say, the rest is history. Teddy Bear & Friends Magazine did a 5 ¼ page feature on me and my unique teddy bears in their February 1997 issue. I didn’t realize until after the magazine was in the bookstores, newsstands and grocery stores, etc. that the publication was distributed worldwide. That night, my phone started ringing. I was getting phone calls from all across the country. I even got a call from Marseille France and one from Tokyo Japan. Suddenly, I had many orders for my bears. I don’t know how many orders I had, because I didn’t dare count them. I knew that it would take at least two years to fill some of the orders and I made sure the customers knew that. That didn’t deter anyone! They said it would be worth the wait. During those beautiful days and years of bear making, my imagination soared! A magical world became a part of my musings; A world where each bear interacted with the other ones I’d created. Each had their own special personality and purpose, and lived a blissful life.
Soon after the Teddy Bear & Friends Magazine publication came out, Teddy Bear Times Magazine, published in the United Kingdom, wrote an article as well. It was in their August 1997 issue. My presence in the UK grew, and the bear making continued.
Next, an editor from Puppen & Spielzeug Doll Magazine, which is published in Germany, happened to be in the U.S. attending a Doll and Teddy Bear show where I was. The next day, he came to my home and did an interview and took some photos of my bears. A beautiful article about my bears was published in the January 1998 issue of Puppen & Spielzeug Doll Magazine. That magazine is written in German. A few months later, the editor called me and asked how many copies I would like to have. I thought I’d receive them in the mail, but he flew back to the U.S. with 12 magazines on his lap and delivered them to my door. What a wonderful time of life! I have many bears in Germany.
I kept making teddy bears for several years and found immense pleasure in that part of my life. So, with the creation of my very first Waldorf-inspired doll, Willow, it felt as though I’d come home... Home to where my spirit rests peacefully and playfully within me. I think I’ll stay awhile.
