TB&F Artist Profiles -  2017

Julie Bellomo, Teddy Den Bears   juliebellomo@gmail.com>  (650) 455-1835
“I started my bear making roughly 30 years ago, and have spent time creating off and on during that time. I raised my daughter which happily diverted my attention for several years. I also had a career in the tech field, and retired a few years ago from Hewlett Packard.  Since retiring, I have had the luxury of being able to devote more time to my hobby and I have thoroughly enjoyed that.
I  always have had a creative, artistic nature growing up. When I came across a bear making pattern, I knew I had to try it. My first project was a faux fur bear.  I was, I must say, quite pleased with this furry little bear!  When I think about it now, I really have to laugh - it barely resembled a bear at all! To my surprise, however, a friend purchased it for $25!  Going forward, I found that with every new bear, I always was hoping to improve each little cub, and slowly but surely that is what happened.  I've been working with mohair for 20 or more years and absolutely love it. Each creation has its own personality, its own character. Even if I make the same pattern with the same mohair, each one always turns out unique.  I love the anticipation of finishing that little face, which truly is when the little bear is born! That is one of my favorite things about bear making.
Another satisfaction I receive is sharing my cubs with family and friends.  I have only been selling my bears for a few months. Until this point, I usually gave them as gifts to family members or friends. When I first posted some bears on-line and let people know I would be selling them, I received several emails from friends sharing pictures of bears I had given them years and years ago (most as far back as 20 years ago!). They sent me the emails so soon after my posting that I knew they didn't dig their bears out of closets or boxes; their bears were either on their beds, on their dressers, on their rocking chairs. My heart was touched that they had their bears close to their hearts (literally) all these years!
I love working with mohair, but I have recently started creating with vintage furs - mainly mink. I was asked to create 3 little bears from a friend's grandmothers stole. I loved this challenge, as I had only made one mink bear prior to this. As I was prepping the fur for the project, 3 pennies emerged from inside the lining of the stole (they must have fallen through a hole in one of the pockets!). I was so amazed that I found these 3 pennies as I was making 3 bears for 3 granddaughters.  I felt like Grandma was there guiding me through the project. My husband drilled holes in the pennies, and I hung each on a leather cord and made necklaces for the cubs. When I shared the story with my friend, she was speechless. She LOVED the bears and especially the story of the pennies! In addition to the mohair and mink bears I have made a sweet little white/cream colored bear out of silk. I had no idea silk could look like fur! This little bear is a sweet little girl cub, and I am drawn to her unique feel. 
As I continue with this hobby that has become such a part of my life, such a part of who I am, I hope to always be creative. I still have so many things I'd like to learn. I still love sharing my bears with friends and family. In February, I gave a baby bear cub to a sweet girl for her 7th birthday and she fell in love with it. She made a thank you card saying "it is one of the nicest presents I've ever 'gotin'!".  Does anything get much better than that?
Contact Information: 
Email:  juliebellomo@gmail.com
TeddyDenBears on Etsy.com

Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes   brownlindaellen@gmail.com>   (352) 854-1856
Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes (Beariety Bears), has been making bears since the 80s. The name Beariety (for variety), was chosen because she makes a variety of styles, and not just bears, but also bunnies and many other animals. She works with mohair or alpaca, uses glass or boot button eyes, and cotter pin/disc joints. Some, like her fashion bears, also have wire armatures to bend at elbows and knees. All of her bears are hand stitched from her own original patterns. Each one she designs is a one of a kind.
Current projects/inspiration- upcoming plans and goals: Currently, Linda is getting ready for the Quinlan Doll and Bear show in Philadelphia this May, IDTS in Asheville, NC this June, and Hugglets in London, England this September. She is making vintage style bears, character bears, and fashion bears, plus bunnies and other animals. Linda has written teddy bear and doll poems that have been set to music by her husband, John J Trinckes, a talented musician. They form a duo called "Our Time", and will be singing teddy bear and doll songs at the Quinlan show on Saturday morning before the show opens. They will also be exhibiting their original dolls and Linda's Beariety Bears. A CD of the songs and a coffee table book with pictures and poems are available. They share a website at www.trinckesmusic.com. Linda plans to travel and share her art as much as possible in the future.
	I've been making artist bears and soft sculpture animals for 30 years. I started in California, USA. I
now live in Florida. I hand-stitch my creations from my own original designs. I make bears and little animals from 2.5 inches tall to 30 inches tall. I mostly use mohair and cotter pin/wooden disc joints. I hand embroider the noses, use glass or boot button eyes, and love to use vintage lace or vintage doll and baby clothes with my creations, or unusual little trinkets as accessories. Sometimes, I hand stitch a little vest or collar for a bear. My other artistic endeavors include oil painting, sculpting art dolls from polymer clay, and singing/ song writing. I called my work Beariety Bears because I like variety and never make the same thing twice. Each is truly one of a kind. I love the collectors I have met through the years. I share a website with my husband, John, who makes beautiful harps and musical instruments and is a talented musician. www.trinckesmusic.com. John and Linda Trinckes are singer/songwriters who have formed a musical duo called “Our Time” that blends vocal harmony with very original songs that are “different”. Some of the songs cross genre and are a blend of easy listening, blues, folk, light pop, and inspirational. Their vocals are accompanied with acoustic guitar, bass, or keyboard. John is an accomplished musician and music writer. He creates beautiful instruments by special order. Linda is an artist and writer (lyricist). She paints in oils, and creates mohair soft sculptures, and polymer clay sculptures. John is a retired music teacher with a masters degree in music, who taught for over 38 years. Linda holds an inactive real estate license, and has professionally exhibited and sold artwork since 1983. The two have written over 30 original songs, including a full length musical with 20 original songs called “Where Love Leads”.  They perform around the central Florida area and record their own music.
Contact Information: 
Email: brownlindaellen@gmail.com	
Donna Griffin  donnaandthebears@aol.com  http://www.donnaandthebears.com/  (757) 291-2309.
I've participated in the Teddy Bear World as the Donna in Donna and the Bears for over 20 years. The industry has changed greatly during this time and I've certainly learned a lot - not only creatively but in the world of technology as well! The industry has gone from having the teddy bear show and magazine advertising as the main sales opportunity for artists to include the whole world as our audience through the worldwide web. I have found that, other than creating the creature, photography is perhaps the most important skill to have. We must be able to represent our work to others who may only have the opportunity to see a couple of photos with which to decide whether or not to adopt! It's also essential to have keen computer skills to package the photos and our message to send into the world through social media and the online shows and shopping sites such as Etsy. Along with the opportunity to reach folks around the world with our products, we can enjoy shopping for supplies and have just about anything arrive at our door pretty quickly. Its such a great opportunity and great fun to search for different furs, eyes, and accessories. I am currently employing some new and different longer furs which aren't usually thought of as being used for the very small bears I make. I'm always on the lookout through Etsy sites and other websites I've found for another adventure! I'm thrilled that my collectors are enjoying these new looks too! I've participated in the Teddy Bear World as the Donna in Donna and the Bears for over 20 years. By far, the very best thing about this adventure has been the people - collectors, artists, writers, publishers, and promoters - that I've come to know. I've seen children of my collectors grow up, go to college, and enter their chosen fields of endeavor. Many have had struggles and joys which I've been privileged to share. It's such fun to hear from those whom I don't see regularly and learn how their lives are going.  I was asked to make a wedding bear couple for a grand celebration for a dear collector in Pennsylvania. Once, I received a call a couple of days before Christmas from a lady who had attended a show several weeks before. Apparently her daughter saw a little panda I had made and that was all she asked Santa for that year. As luck would have it, I had sold that panda, but was able to get another made in the wee hours of Christmas Eve just in time for Santa to pick it up to deliver on his rounds!
The industry has changed greatly during these twenty years and I've certainly learned a lot - not only creatively but in the world of technology as well! The industry has gone from having the teddy bear show and magazine advertising as the main sales opportunity for artists to include the whole world as our audience through the worldwide web. I have found that, other than creating the creature, photography is perhaps the most important skill to have. We must be able to represent our work to others who may only have the opportunity to see a couple of photos with which to decide whether or not to adopt! It's also essential to have keen computer skills to package the photos and our message to send into the world through social media, the online shows and shopping sites such as Etsy.
Along with the opportunity to reach folks around the world with our products, we can enjoy shopping for supplies and have just about anything arrive at our door pretty quickly. Its such a great opportunity and great fun to search for different furs, eyes, and accessories. I am currently employing some new and different longer furs which aren't usually thought of as being used for the very small bears I make. I'm always on the lookout through Etsy sites and other websites I've found for another adventure! I'm thrilled that my collectors are enjoying these new looks too! At the heart of any creation is the face. The souls of our creations must connect to the world through the eyes and expressions we give them. I'm convinced that being able to make that connection is a priceless gift - one that makes this lifetime a treasure filled with wonderful friends!
Contact Information: 
Email:  Donnaandthebears@aol.com
Website:  www.DonnaAndTheBears.com 
Brenda Parker  brenda@brendabears.com  brenda@brendabears.com>   http://www.brendabears.com/
Website info: Brenda Parker, the designer and creator of BrendaBears™ was drawn into the wonderful world of bear making in 1993. She has always had a love for sewing and all things creative. What began as a craft business quickly turned into an adventure in the teddy bear industry. While still marketing her crafts, she purchased a teddy bear pattern and made a few just for fun, and that was all it took - she was hooked! Success with a commercial pattern sparked the desire to create her own unique design of teddy bears, and the rest is history. These creations are her passion. She loves to watch them come to life and bring on a personality all their own. It is a truly rewarding experience for which she feels blessed. Each of her teddy bears are made entirely by her from start to finish, one at a time. Striving for perfection in every creation, she uses only the finest quality materials, putting a great deal of herself into each bear. Much thought and attention goes into each and every detail of her bears. Bear making allows her to express herself in her creations. Her days are filled with creativity and delight. She finds a great deal of enjoyment on this path laid out before her. She sincerely hopes that her teddy bears bring collectors the same joy she experiences in creating them...self taught teddy bear artist and crafter. She lives in scenic Jackson, WY, nestled in the majestic Teton Mountains, where she designs and creates original collectible teddy bears. These creations are her passion. She loves to watch them come to life and bring on a personality all their own.  Each of her bears is lovingly designed and made entirely by her from start to finish. Because they are handmade one at a time, each bear is born with its own personality, and no two are exactly alike. She uses both machine and hand-stitching in the making of her bears, striving for perfection in all her creations, and using only the finest quality materials.  German or English mohair/alpaca/synthetic; Ultrasuede/leather/wool felt pawpads;  premium German glass eyes;  ully jointed (unless otherwise stated) with disc joints;  Loc-line® or Flex Limb armature;  Hand-embroidered pearle cotton / embroidery floss nose; Polyester fiberfill / plastic pellets / glass beads / steel shot ; Subtle hand-shading / needle & scissor sculpting. To ensure authenticity, each of my bears wears a sewn-in tush tag and comes with an attached hang tag which states the bears name, birthdate, and number. These hang tags are signed by me, the artist. The bears which become available for adoption are "One-of-a-Kind" creations. However, I also offer some small limited editions and a few open editions on occasion.   
 Contact Information: 
Email:  brendabears@brendabears.com> 
Website: http://www.brendabears.com/

The July issue of /TB&F/ will be our Meet the Artists issue (similar format to /DOLLS/' Debut of Dolls issue). I'm splitting up the assignments of mini profiles for both issues between several writers, same as last year. I'll be following up this email with a (longer) list of assignments for Debut of Dolls. As with last year, the pay for the mini profiles will be $50 each, with each profile consisting of just 3 or 4 paragraphs and 3 to 4 photos with captions, preferably including one photo large enough to run as a full page. The basic idea is an introductory paragraph about the artist and their work followed by a couple of paragraphs about their current projects/inspirations etc and their upcoming plans, goals, etc. For TB&F's July issue, I'd like to get mini profiles of three artists and one company from you. Deadline will be Friday, March 31.