www.teddybear-news.info - THE ONLINE MAGAZINE - Teddy Artists Worldwide - Artist bears by Laraine White - Rainebears

Home

Fairs/Events

Portraits

Recommendations

Bear makers and teddy artists are always welcome to contact us for a portrait. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Read portrait in German

artist bears by Laraine White, Rainebears, New Zealand

Laraine, please describe your bears with your own words.
Rainebears are original, unique handmade artist bears, created from quality German Mohair and Alpaca. Each bear created is a character on its own, with no two ever being identical. The sizes of my bears are 5-6 inches and are all hand sewn. A lot of my bears have knitted or crochet hats or scarves and a charm around their necks.

When did you start making bears and what was the occasion?
I found the world of teddies in 1995 through a friend of mine who I went with to a bear show in the city. It was there that my friend suggested I buy a bear kitset, which I did. After I had finished making up my first bear 'I was hooked'. That was thirteen years ago. I always need to have a bear nearby ready to sew. From that very first bear I made from that kitset I would never have thought I would be designing my own patterns. I really have found something that I absolutely love doing and I hope to

keep making my bears for a long time yet.

Do you recollect the first teddy that you made yourself?
My first teddy was a 9 inch reproduction bear, and was made from acrylic fur, with safety eyes and a very badly stitched nose. He was nothing like what I offer now.

artist bears by Laraine White, Rainebears, New Zealand

How do you get ideas or inspiration for new creations?
I am constantly thinking of new ideas for my bears. I take inspiration from almost everywhere. The world around me, magazines and books.

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 come alive right before your eyes.

artist bears by Laraine White, Rainebears

Do you have a personal great dream regarding the bear making?
My dreams are very simple. I would love to continue to create my bears and for them 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.

Please tell us something about the place where you live. What's your place of birth?
Wellington is New Zealand's capital city and it's also known as our arts and culture capital. I was born here and grew up in Wellington. I have always lived in this area and I love Wellington and have never wanted to live anywhere else. Wellington is set on the edge of a stunning harbour and has a reputation for its picturesque natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with tiered suburbs of colonial villas. Because of its location and its exposure to winds coming through Cook Strait (Cook Strait separates the North and South Islands), the city is known affectionately to Kiwis (New Zealanders) as "Windy Wellington".

It is not too big and is a very walkable city which makes it so easy to get around, a very compact city. Wellington is home to some of the biggest annual and biennial events in the country. From theatre to arts, sport, music and live performances there's always something on. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films showcased Wellington's stunning natural scenery on the world stage.

I now live north of the city in the suburb of Whitby. The name of the suburb and streets all have a nautical theme based around the Pacific explorer James Cook and is close to the sea.

Is there a teddy bear scene in New Zealand (regular fairs, competitions, magazines ...)?
We have about six shows held each year, the most of them are in the North Island. I am very lucky to be able to trade at most of them each year. We have a small magazine called "N.Z Teds" which is put out by the club I belong to in Wellington. Luckily there is the internet and that keeps us all in touch with what's going on, I must say that I would be lost without it.

Do you think that your bears are influenced by your place of residence/country or would they look the same if you lived elsewhere?
Because my bears are what I want to create I feel that they would be the same wherever I lived.

See Laraine and her bears at: www.rainebears.com

Copyright: Laraine White

Adverts:

Confiserie Sprüngli - Worldwide delivery!