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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Hi Di,
Glenn (hubby) cut the brooch out...I think he cut out about twelve different brooch shapes (wait till you see what he's done for Christmas)...he's does come in handy sometimes...actually I don't know what I'd do without him! 
He does all the timber that I use with my bears...disks, signage, boxes for putting cottons in, props, my bases for special designs...like the ones I'll be posting sooooon!
Hugs,
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
It's a wonderful to win a best in show isn't it? Sort of makes you feel all warm and glowy inside!
Looks great Kathleen!
Now all you've gotta do is put your :photo: up so we can see you behind it!
I remember when the hubs looked like that.....but I love him to pieces any way I can have him.....but it doesn't hurt to appreciate fine art!
and all our bumps were in the right places! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: It is a tough one..But I have to stick up for new artists at fairs...I think often they are the ones that get sales because their work is different. I agree that sometimes people do fairs before they are ready..but I have seen some new artists work and it shines out like a beacon because they are good at whatever they do creatively...and customers easily recognise raw talent too.
It doesn't necessarily follow that because someone has been doing something for ages that they are better than someone who just started and for whom bear making and design clicked straightaway.....
I don't want any missinterpretations of what I said earlier. I too have seen new artists who do shine out like a beacon...Kerrie Mouat (Bessed Dressed Bears) was one that I recognised very early in the piece...her costumes were astounding...but she had been a bridal designer and seamstress long before she discovered bears. She had both the knowledge of design and good craftsmanship already under her belt. But she will tell you herself, it wasn't untill she entered a few comps and got some critique on the bears themselves, that she really began to soar. I think those that do well, aside from good needlework skills, are the ones with a good imagination, the ones that think outside of the square!
In my opinion there is a very big difference between a bear maker and an bear artist. It's the bear makers who I feel need to serve their "apprentiship" before expecting to make heaps of $$$$$$$$$$$$!
Now back to the original topic...I have a challenge for all you girls. You, like me, want to get more collectors...new collectors to the shows. Contact your local newspapers and give them a story about yourselves and your bears for their editorial pages. I'm sure if you try, at least some of the stories will get published and the general public will learn a little more about this wonderful world of teddy bears.
If you can time it before a local show, even better. I have done it in the past and it's lovely when people whom I had never met come up to my table, introduce themselves and tell me they came because of the article in the paper. Some of those ladies became collectors, who I still see and chat to at shows and others became my students.
Do you all hand out flyers before the show? Think about taking a walk around your neighbourhood and doing a leaflet drop...we've all got computers so I assume you have printers...if you can design an avatar you can design a small leaflet...print them 4 up on a sheet x 100 sheets is not too much to expect to promote the shows and your businesses. Can you imagine how many more people you'd get there if everyone having a table at the show did this. And lets face it there's a lot of us that could do with a good walk! Fresh air, plenty of time to think about new designs etc. etc.
Now you've got me running off at the mouth! 
I'm going to bed!
What the .... is it?
Teddies are tactile, so I tend to buy a lot by touch. Unless I know the quality of an artist's work, I won't buy sight unseen, so I'm not an Ebay collector.
When I do buy over the net, I will generally go to the Artist's website to purchase. Wouldn't be adverse to purchasing through TT.
This is from another post and my opinion from a Collectors View!
I don't buy the argument that you have to bring in cheaper work to fairs to attract buyers...I actually think quite the opposite...that it's the low end ..mediocre, same old, same old stuff that stops people going.
I want to see the best made, best designed, most beautiful, most original work around...not row upon row of the same, year in year out...I do think that the internet and ebay is one reason that shows aren't as busy.
There are also many shows, poorly advertised and organised...poorly sign-posted in drab venues. That's why collectors won't go ....I wouldn't want to pay £4.00 to get in having driven miles to a grotty room full of manufactured bears. It is essential if we are going to attract new collectors to our industry that shows are places where the very best work is on display...so they don't just become some kind of market place for poor quality work. That won't attract anyone.
As a Collector I must agree with Jenny ... I get really p****d off when I get to a show and it's full of poorly made or mass manufactured bears.
I would pay good money to see just ONE Bear Artist Only show a year and I mean just that! Not just bear makers or people who have slightly altered a pattern and called it their own (collectors aren't stupid, they can tell the difference and they do recognise when it's someone elses pattern, even when it's been altered), but real Quality Artists who put their heart and soul into producing a bear which truely is a work of art.
I'm not trying to have a go at the beginners, there's a place for them too. But I think they have to serve their "apprentiships" first.
As an Artist I think we miss picking up new collectors because promoters to often use the same advertising avenues over and over again. I have often wondered how many have thought of advertising in some of the magazines we see in doctors and dentists waiting rooms?
Well I admit I certainly don't know all the answers, but I do think there are still a lot of like minded people out there who would love to adopt another bear!
Hi Irene,
I've been collecting for years and a lot of bears in my collection have been swaps at shows from what you might call "unknown Artists".
Some my hubby has bought (like my Steiff's) but when it comes to bears he doesn't seem to have his "man ears" on, he always manages to pick up on my current bear love! :pray: Thank heavens!
Teddies are tactile, so I tend to buy a lot by touch. Unless I know the quality of an artist's work, I won't buy sight unseen, so I'm not an Ebay collector.
When I do buy over the net, I will generally go to the Artist's website to purchase. Wouldn't be adverse to purchasing through TT.
I guess you would say... appeal is first on my agenda, quality of workmanship second, price doesn't matter so much, because if I love a bear enough, I'll find a way to have it!
:hug:
Sandi
Well done Roxanne! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Looking good kiddo and I can read it now okay!
Big :hug:
Sandi
Well done Jeannie. :clap: :clap: :clap:
I'm sure there will be lots of bear makers on hand to help you out, if and when you need it.
I hope all goes well for you with your bearmaking.
:hug:
Sandi
Great idea Mindy! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Looks like you've a lot of work ahead of you.
Will all the :photo: be mixed or separated into countries?
Count me in. I'm going to start sorting today!
:hug:
Sandi
I can see Renae,
that all we have to do to cheer you up when your down,
is to say GUMNUTS and you'll :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: all over again!
I'm glad we Aussies can tickle your fancy!
Big :hug:
Sandi
HE MUSTA HAD HIS MAN EARS ON!!
:crackup: :crackup:
Don't worry Pen it'll all grow back...SOMEDAY!!
Hugs,
Sandi
I'll be thinking of you when I go to sleep, hoping all is well with you when I wake in the morning.
Big beary hugs,
Sandi
What a beautiful rose Susan.
When I first looked at the :photo: I thought you had taken a photo and posted it ... it looks so real! I have roses that look like that, a hybrid tea rose, Duftwolke I think it's called.
Well done ol' girl! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
I'm glad you posted some of your artwork.
:hug:
Sandi
Thanks for sharing the :photo: :photo: :photo: Judi.
:hug:
Sandi
Gladys you left out a "
" from "
"!
That :twisted: gremlin ate 'em I bet.
:hug:
Sandi
One eggplant for the tree, one giant heave for the squirrels!
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
I did enjoy those squirrel stories...thanks Chrissie and Renae.
:hug: :hug:
Sandi
