Artist Biography

   My Artist Profile is in the October 2011 issue of Teddy Bear Review Magazine. 

 

To read these TBR pages: (1) click on the photo then (2) click on the photo again to enlarge it (3) at this point you can print it out full page.

This is where I work. It is just a little table by my front window. I have a few of my favorite little critters that sit and watch me while I work: a mink mouse that I created, a little fabric teddy (that I also created), and one of the many Kathy Davis dragons that live throughout my house. I turned a couple of wooden candle sticks into pin cushions. They hold not only pins but also a couple of butterflies that I made and even some sample eyes. You can also see a gecko (that I also sculpted) climbing up the front of my work table. In the background is  one of the custom order polar bears that I am currently working on.

My Artist Profile in Teddy Bear Times

After 24 years as a full-time Teddy Bear Artist I was thrilled to finally have Teddy Bear Times "discover" my mink creations and honor me by including my Artist Profile in their 200th birthday issue (Aug/Sept 2012). The article on my work is on pages 6 and 7 and titled "An artist's new take on old furs" ... I like it.

Let me make myself perfectly clear....

The response below was written to someone named Gracie who sent me 

an email to tell me that because I worked with real fur that my work was

"sad and DISGUSTING"  (a direct quote from her email)

"Well, Gracie, if you had bothered to read about my work (work that I have been 

nationally and internationally recognized for over the past 24 years) ... you 

would have found out that I have been a vegetarian for my entire adult life. You 

would have found out that I have supported many animal rescue organizations, 

such as the reintroduction of wolves into the wild. And I have supported various 

dog rescue organizations for decades. I do NOT use NEW mink pelts!!! I only use 

VINTAGE mink stoles that are typically from the 1940s through the 1960s. These 

are furs that are sitting in the backs of closets because they used to belong to 

Mom or Grandma. So apparently you think that it is better that these furs are 

tossed into the trash to add to our over-filled landfills???  rather than have 

me use my skills to turn these old mink stoles into beautiful heirloom teddy 

bears and other animals that many times become loving mementos of Mom 

or Grandma to be shared with children, grandchilden and even 

great-grandchildren. I create these little works of mink "art" that already 

have a family history and are destined to be loved and treasured for many 

generations to come. I have always felt that the spirit of the creature that 

was sacrificed for fashion is still in the pelt and that "spirit" remains with the 

pelt as it becomes a teddy bear that is "adopted" into the loving homes of 

my collectors." 

click here to see my complete response.