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Bear makers and teddy artists are always welcome to contact us for a portrait. We're looking forward
to hearing from you.
Jinx
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Kim, please describe your bears with your own words.
Russell Bears are original, unique hand made artist bears, created from quality mohair and alpaca. Each bear or critter created is a character on it's own, with no two ever being identical, my bears are known for their soulful expressions and individual designs, the inspiration for each piece comes from our beautiful and vast animal world.
When did you start making bears and what was the occasion?
I actually made my first teddy bears at the age of 18 from a commercial pattern, but it wasn't until I reached
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my 30's that I started seriously collecting bears myself. Steiff, Hermann, Russ, etc is where I started out until I discovered artist bears, and there was no turning back from there, having a background in dressmaking and art, I took to designing my own range and have found something that I absolutely love doing.
Do you recollect the first teddy that you made yourself?
My first teddy was a huge Moon Bear, he was almost like a bean bag, he took forever to stuff and was made from acrylic fur, with big plastic eyes and nose.
Hudson and Fergus
How do you get ideas or inspiration for new bears?
My inspiration comes mostly from animals, I really love dogs and was asked by a collector to make a creation from her photographs of her own dog. It turned out much better than expected and so more orders came in and I decided to call the range "Best Friends".
What do like most when making bears?
I like choosing the materials, putting the different colour combinations together, then deciding what I will create from it, but what I love the most is forming the facial features, where you can actually see the bear or critter come alive right before your eyes.
Best friends / Beau
Hoot
Booh
Brandon
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Do you have a personal great dream regarding the bear making?
I would love for my bears to become treasured keepsakes that could be passed down the generations. I truly love what I do, and hope that I can continue to create pieces that collectors consider one of their favorites in their collections.
How would you describe a perfect teddy bear?
Is there a "perfect" teddy bear???? I would like to think that when you fall for a particular bear, you do so because you think it is perfect, I have to be smitten by it, much like choosing a puppy or a kitten…. I think they choose you!!!
Brewster
Can you imagine a life without teddy bears?
I couldn't imagine a life without teddy bears, I don't think a day goes by that I don't have at least one thought of how I'm going to go about creating the next one.
Please tell us something about the place where you live. What's your place of birth?
I live in Western Australia, born and raised in the capital city of Perth. I have to describe it as the small country town of Australia, big enough to have everything we need, but small enough to not feel claustrophobic. I live in the outer northern suburbs, one street back from the beach and I love it here.
Is there a teddy bear scene in Australia (regular fairs, competitions, magazines ...)?
We have a healthy teddy bear scene here in Australia, unfortunately for me the regular major fairs are on the Eastern Coast, so I miss out on a lot. Thankfully we have the internet and our own magazine, Australian Bear Creations, that keeps us all in touch with what's going on, I can truly say that I would be lost without them.
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Do you think that your bears are influenced by your country or would they look the same if you lived elsewhere?
My bears come from my heart, they are what I want to create so I feel that they would be the same wherever I was from.
Moe / Kim Russell with one of her bears
Visit Kim Russell and her creations Online:
www.russellbears.com
Copyright: © Kim Russell
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