About Bears & Buddies
We have been carrying handmade artist bears and other animals from several artists since we started Arts&Souls. They have come from as faraway as Australia and as close as Oklahoma. They have ranged from elegant lady bears in long gowns to wonderful bears that are air brushed. All are handmade with lost of tender loving care, whimsy and creativity. The artist's that we are currently carrying are listed below.
Monica Spicer's Attic Treasures
Monica Spicer came to Australia from Argentina with her parents and brother. She has always been very handy. and started making bears many years ago, to the delight of many bear collectors. Over time, Monica honed her technique and her bears have taken on personalities of their own. Thy all seem to have a very saucy, cheeky look about them, or as Monica describes them, "bears with an attitude"! She says, "I like to think my bears have their own personality and say to people, 'Hi, please take me home.' I put a lot of time into getting those expressions just right." These adorable bears are lovingly designed and hand made from the finest quality materials. The bodies of the bears are all made from mohair with the exception of a few that are made from the finest synthetic fur from France. Each bear has glass eyes and is truly delightful. Each bear is fully jointed so it can stand, sit or be posed as desired. Every one of the bears' outfits is also hand made with special attention given to every detail, whether it is ribbon embroidery on a collar, dresses with lace colors, or hand sewn hats decorated with silk flowers. Monica's bears were featured in "Bears to Treasure" Magazine in Australia and in "Teddy Bears and Friends" Magazine in the US.Katie Rae Bears
Award Winning Bear Artist Katherine Hallam (Katie Rae) lives in Sheffield, Englnd with her family and pets. She was first a collector of arts and crafts before decided to try her hand at creating bears in the late 80's. After first trying a kit that she was "uninspired" by, she threw it away and decided to have a go at her own designs. Since that time Katie Rae Bears have been awarded top honors at The British Bear Artist Awards and the Toby Industry Choice Awards. In Katie's words:
I've always done arts and crafts, but making bears give me a special "fuzzy" feeling . The creative process is the most important thing. I have been making bears for 19 years (wow I cant believe its my 20 year anniversary next year) My first bears were very basic, but still unique to me, I've always tried to keep my bears special to me. I design my bears using pen and paper - recently I have gone up-market and the pattern pieces are drawn onto thin perspex, but I never get rid of a pattern and I still have my original pattern pieces (from 20 year ago) drawn on the back of birthday cards and old envelopes.Generally I have several bears on the go at once. The heads and the feet are the most creative part of the process, so I tend to have a few of them around before I get round to making the bodies. My bears are made using traditional bear making techniques along with new techniques including needle felting,needle/scissor sculpting, fimo sculpting and hand painting generally although the basic body and part of the head is made using a pattern, the features are added using sculpting,needle-felting and paintings so no two are ever the same and because the faces dont come from a patterns they are born in my hand. I know when its time to stop when the face talks to me. All my bears noses are hand made by me and all have my signature diamante set into them.
Bears of the Abbey
Susan Mckay has been creating many wonderful artistic and unique bears for happy collectors over the past 26 years. Susan's collectible bears have found many new homes throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Susan's award winning artistry is diverse with designs ranging from antique reproduction bears to those that are whimsical in nature. Many other animal critters have joined the family as well to include cats, dogs, seals, otters, bunnies and more. Susan offers her collectors, bears that are created from the finest mohair and alpaca.
Susan especially enjoys customizing orders for clients who have specific ideas about a bear or other character creations and we will be happy to help you with a custom order. Susan exhibits and sells her work at teddy bear shows in Canada, the United States, England and Germany on a regular basis.
Red Land Bears:
These wonderful artist bears are made by Mark and Sandy Hudson. Most of their creations are finished with airbrushing and the results are fantastic. From the very beginning, quality has been an important aspect of the Hudson.s bear making. Sandy and Mark so admired the craftsmanship of their 1908 replica Stieff bear, named Teddy White,. that they successfully recreated that quality in their own bears. Aside from the occasional use of Alpaca for a specific affect, all Red Land bears are made from imported mohair and have glass-blown eyes. They are stuffed with a combination of polyfill and steel pellets to create a firm, weighted feel. Excelsior is used in the bear.s head to allow for easy needle sculpting of the face. Felt or suede is used for paw pads. Red Land bears are also jointed tightly so they keep their pose. One of the hallmarks of many of the Red Land Bears is the use of airbrushing as a finishing touch. Depending on the size of bear being made, it takes the Hudsons 6-10 hours to complete a bear. Many of their bears have been nominated for awards and their bear "Stormy" was awarded a TOBY award in 2003.
