Competitive Investments

The deadline for the 2019 TOBY Industry's Choice Awards has now arrived and after a time away from competition work, I decided to stop umming and aahhing and actually enter this year. Not that I am terribly hopeful of success, as my experience of the TOBY Awards has been mixed over the years. That said, I did have the honour (not to mention shock!) of winning a couple of times with entries several years ago, so I guess you never can tell!

You could have knocked me down with a feather when I received notice that my big clown, 'Billy Buttons' had won a 2008 TOBY Industry's Choice Award... my very first TOBY Award!

And in 2011, I was absolutely thrilled to receive the TOBY Award again, this time for my careworn style 'Lonesome' teddy bear.

That said, it has been a good while since I last entered a competition after a disappointment with another competition, regarding an award I won three years ago. Sadly, despite contacting the organiser many times, my trophy was never sent and as competitions are costly and somewhat nerve-wracking to enter, I felt a little discarded after the initial joy of winning an award. As a result, I decided to take a step away from competing for a time.  Bear artists invest not only their hard earned pennies, but also fragile self belief, into submitting competition entries and to my mind, organisers should respect that investment.

So, why even enter artist bear competitions? 

Well, as I see it, teddy bear competitions are about so much more than who has made the 'best' bear that year. They are about promoting teddy bear artistry as an industry and validating those bearmakers who put heart and soul into their creations. They are also about inspiring creative talent in others, whilst sharing passion for the teddy bear, his heritage and also his future.

My 2019 TOBY Award entries (there are two) have now been submitted so there is nothing else to do but sit back and enjoy the suspense, while judging takes place. I dare say there will be a twinge of disappointment if at least one isn't placed this year, but if that's the case, it certainly won't be the first time and probably won't be the last either!

:-)

Spring Cleaning

Was tidying my workroom cupboard earlier and came across this lovely photograph of a past collection of big bears I created several years ago. I remember the photo was taken by my sister ... she did a great job and we had loads of fun together in her studio that day!

 I'm not sure why the photo landed up in the back of my cupboard, but it made me smile today, so I have put it back out on display. I perched the pic behind my teddy bear trophies which were also gathering dust, but have today been washed so are now sparkling when the sun shines through the window. 

All this organising and cleaning can only mean one thing .... surely Spring is just around the corner?!

:-)

Success on a whim

I very nearly didn't enter the EBAA's year, but at the last minute, changed my mind and on a complete whim, entered my cloth teddy 'Lolly' ...

Lolly is a 2017 Excellence in Bear Artistry Award Winner!

Then I promptly forgot all about the competition until I received an email a few days ago, telling me my cloth bear has been honoured with a 2017 'Excellence in Bear Artistry' Award" ... as you can imagine, I am thrilled to bits with this unexpected news!

:-)

EBAA Awards, Lolly's a winner!

I am delighted to blow my own trumpet today (and why not!) as I just received notification that my entry into this year's 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' has been honoured with an award!

My head was nowhere near in gear for entering competitions this year, so I very nearly missed the EBAA submission deadline, but on a last minute whim, I put my tweedy cloth bear 'Lolly' forward for judging and was delighted to receive an email earlier this week telling me she has been successful.

I really didn't expect to win an award this year, but thought it might be fun to enter a hairless bear into the competition for a change, never once thinking my tweedy bear might stand a chance against all those glamorous mohair bears.

So the moral of my little story is, don't talk yourself out of things ...  whatever it is, give it a go and believe in yourself!

If you would like to help Lolly in the Public Vote category, please visit the final 'Judges' Choice' EBAA winners on the link below and cast your vote ... thank you! 

EBAA Awards Public Vote

:-)

Excellence in Bear Artistry

The 2015 announcements have been made today and I am delighted to tell you, my 'Mr Moonshine' is among the select few honoured with a prestigious ... 

'Excellence in Bear Artistry - Judges Choice Award'!

So, right now, I will take a quiet moment to enjoy my success and give thanks that after twenty long years of making bears, they are still appreciated ... something in this fast moving creative industry, I never ever take for granted!

The next stage of the competition is the public vote.  If you would like to cast votes for your favourite teddy bear from each category, please visit the EBAA website by clicking the link below:

http://www.bearartistry.com

:-)

TBAAF WINNERS!

I entered this year's 'Teddy Bear Artists and Friends' awards several months ago and had all but forgotten the competition, so to learn my bears won 1st place and 3rd place in their respective categories, came as rather a lovely surprise this morning!

'Kingsley' was voted a 1st place winner in the 'Rustic Bears' category and this delighted me as he was one of the few bears I really wish I had kept.

You may remember 'Chester' from the front cover of Hugglets' 2013 UK Teddy Bear Guide; as you can imagine, I am thrilled he has also been awarded 3rd place in the 'Touching Tradition' category of the TBAAF Awards this year!  

And as a firm supporter of our traditional teddy bears, I am even more delighted this particular category has been so well subscribed with gorgeous traditional bears from all around the world.  It is good to know the traditional teddy bear never grows old!

A big thank you to Lanie and Darren for organising this lovely competition to help promote teddy bear artists. :-)

http://www.teddy-bear-artists-and-friends.com/tbaafawardwinners2014.htm

On the right track..

So, this little beauty arrived in the post yesterday ...

Such a thrill to receive a lovely crystal trophy!

To receive an 'Excellence' award from a panel of internationally respected industry judges, is an honour, but also a validation of the somewhat less than 'normal' path I have chosen.  

Throughout the past twenty years there have been many times I have questioned my creative direction, so thank you judges, for letting me know I'm still on the right track.

A feather in my oh-so-traditional cap

Over the years I have often wondered if traditionally styled teddy bears can really hold their own against the bells and whistles of contemporary artist bears, when it comes to being judged on techniques employed and whenever I enter one of my classic teddy bears into a competition, I confess, it is usually with a fair degree of determination to have the typical teddy bear remembered and represented, whether or not he stands a chance of selection in this, the day of artistic impression.

'Beau'' - honoured with a 2014 Judges' Choice 

'Excellence in Bear Artistry Award' 

Well, today I am delighted to be able to share a little news with you ... 

I have just learned that my entry into the 2014 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' has been honoured by a panel of elite teddy bear judges ... thus proving without a doubt, the traditional teddy bear still has as much place in competition as the most experimental of teddy bear interpretations!

The public voting element of this competition is now live, so please visit the link below and express your opinions on teddy bear design by casting your votes, thank you!

http://www.bearartistry.com/entries

TOBY or not TOBY, that is the question!

As the 2014 TOBY Industry Choice Award deadline loomed large at the end of last year, I found myself questioning whether I really wanted to enter and was quite surprised to hear my inner bear crafting competitor asking for a rest ...

So, I have decided to give myself leave to step back from this prestigious competition in 2014, rather than putting myself through my competition paces yet again. I must say, after almost twenty years of competitive peaks and troughs, allowing myself to become a bystander is a very welcome sensation!

I dare say I will be tempted to take part in one or two other competitions during the coming year, but for now I'm stepping down and looking forward to simply enjoying this competition from a distance.  

Good luck to everyone who is taking part this year!

Surprise, surprise!

Just as I was planning to take a rest from competition, the TBAAF Awards have been announced and two of my entries have scooped first place in their respective categories ... such a lovely surprise to start my day with!

'Jubilee' won the 'Jubilee Memories' category ...

... and 'April Annie' won her 'Sunday Best' category.

Thank you so much to everyone who voted, you've made my day!!!!

Bunny out of the bag!!!

The cat is out of the bag (Or the rabbit in my case lol!) and I can now let you into a little secret ... 

'Clover' has been honoured with a 2013 'Excellence in Bear Artistry' award!!!!!!

Whooooo!!!!

'Clover'  has won a 2013 Excellence in Bear Artistry Award!

I couldn't be more thrilled as this is my first ever rabbit entry into a professional bear crafting competition and being honoured in this way by a panel of expert judges is a huge compliment!

Now the professional judges have cast their votes, the winning entries are entered into a public choice category so that you, the collectors, can also have your say ... so please pop over to the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' website to study the winners carefully and cast a vote for your favourite creations ... thank you!

EXCELLENCE IN BEAR ARTISTRY AWARDS PUBLIC CHOICE: VOTE NOW!

Ding Ding, Round One!

Yes, it's that time of year again, competition fever has begun!

  

After um-ing and ah-ing about whether to enter or not, this bear maker eventually submitted to three Summer competitions and the first, the 'URSA Awards' has just started and needs you to vote cast a vote for your favourite entries!

Applejack has been entered in Category 5 of the 2013 URSA Awards

It would be much appreciated if you could spare a few moments to support the  competition by browsing each of the URSA categories and then selecting the bears (and friends) which stand out of the crowd in your eyes.  

In this competition, your vote really does count!

VOTE NOW

Thank you!

Competing Creatively!

The 'TBAAF Awards' originally caught my eye as I felt they offered a fresh perspective on existing awards programmes by inviting participants to enter creatively themed categories, rather than the usual 'bare bear/dressed bear' style of competitions we have become used to. So this year, I chose several categories to enter and am delighted to tell you, was rewarded with sufficient votes from the public to receive four awards for my work!

'Valentina' won 1st place in her 'Raggy Dolls' category.

The most exciting news for me was that my Prim Dolly Doodle 'Valentina' had won an impressive first place in her 'Raggy Dolls & Friends' category - I'm not used to winning doll-making awards, so this was a very special thrill for me!

'Buttons' won 2nd place in the 'Christmas comes once a year' category.

I was also delighted to discover that one of my most favourite Christmas bears, a lovely shabby ol' fellow named 'Buttons', achieved second place in his 'Christmas comes but once a year' category. Way to go Buttons!

'Midsummer Magic', 'Peaseblossom', 'Titania' & 'Oberon' won 3rd place in the 'Midsummer Night Dream' category.

Peaseblossom, Titania and Oberon were honoured with a very respectable third place in their 'Midsummer Night Dream' category.

'Be my Valentine' won 5th place in the 'They came two by two' category.

And by no means least, two of my favourite bears from 2012, a pair of soulful classic teddy bears, were placed 5th in the 'They came two by two' category. 

I am so pleased the public enjoyed my entries and would like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to vote for my work in this lovely creative competition, thank you all so very much for this super confidence boost!!!

Time to cast YOUR vote!

It's time to cast your vote! 

The '2012 Teddy Bear Artists and Friends Awards' are now open for public voting; this is a lovely competition full of creative talent, so please spare a moment to support the artists by choosing your favourite entry in each category, thank you!

Needless to say, I couldn't resist entering!
Here are my entries ...

Category: 'Midsummer Night's Dream'

Category: 'Raggy Doll'

Category: 'They came two by two'

Category: 'Christmas comes but once a year'

Your vote really does count!  

To take part in the 2012 TBAAF online voting, please click the link below, thank you!

Vote in the 2012 TBAAF Awards

A Tiddly Suprise!

I just heard my little 8" Tiddler clown bear has been honoured with a 2012 'Excellence in Bear Artistry' Award, which as you can imagine, was quite a surprise for this maker of big bears!!!!

8" 'April Fool'

Aptly, this little bear is called 'April Fool' and he has certainly had his fun with me in this competition!

Those of you who read my blog regularly will recall the 'Tiddlers' were a new creative challenge for me earlier this year after many years of making large bears, so I am both amazed and delighted they have received such prestigious recognition.  It just goes to prove it is always worth trying something outside your comfort zone!

April Fool' will now be put through to the final 'Public Choice' award stage of the competiton and the fun part is that now the judges' have had their say, YOU get to vote for your favourites, so please support the wonderful world of teddy bear creation, by taking a moment to cast your votes in each category in this excellent competition: 

EXCELLENCE IN BEAR ARTISTRY - PUBLIC VOTING!

Thank you!

Excellence in Bear Artistry

In my humble opinion, when it comes to teddy bear competitions here in the UK, we have been lacking anything significant since the fabulous heyday of the 'British Bear Artist Awards'.  Way back in the 1990's, the UK teddy bear world and beyond, positively buzzed at 'BBAA' time, because back then, we were duly proud of our major national award.  It heralded the teddy bear as an art form, showcasing bear artists and rewarding winners with beautiful etched crystal awards, bouquets of flowers, framed certificates and a rather posh presentation dinner requiring one's best bib and tucker, to-boot!  The BBAA competition wasn't just a competition, it was an event and an event which often resulted in far reaching opportunities for its shining stars!  

'Bon-Bon' won 2nd place in the 1997 BBAA's

My own bear making career took off dramatically in 1997, after winning second place in the 'Big Bears Undressed' category of the British Bear Artist Awards.  I remember how shocked I was to receive postal notification of my nomination and an invitation to the grand Awards Ceremony, which was to be held at the swanky St. James Hotel in the heart of London.  I agonised over what to wear for weeks prior to the event and was a bag of nerves on the big night.  After a lovely dinner with all the other nominees, my name was called out to collect my award and I stumbled up from the table, blushing furiously and shaking like a leaf!  It was a significant night for all of us there and for me, opened many doors because those 'in the know' considered the competition a benchmark for quality and innovation.  I received numerous invitations to work with shops and magazines both in the UK and overseas as a result of my first BBAA and even had my work included in a museum in Hong Kong!

'Himself' won first place in the 1998 BBAA's

Keen to prove I wasn't just a 'one trick pony', I entered 32" 'Himself' into the BBAA's the following year and was over the moon when he won first place!  Since then, I have entered other competitions both in the UK and overseas and have been honoured with many other awards, but nothing has ever given me quite the same sense of personal pride as winning those very first 'British Bear Artist awards' ... 

My 1998 'British Bear Artist Award' 

(displayed with my 2008 TOBY Award)

I hope you'll be relieved to hear my reason for this post isn't simply to blow my own trumpet.  No, in fact it's to pass on some exciting news because at long last, I am able to tell you about an exciting new, British based, teddy bear competition!  

Sponsored by Bear Basics and designed by proprietor Susan Davies, the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' will take place this year, for the sole purpose of recognising, supporting and encouraging the creative work of teddy bear artists both in the UK and overseas.  Susan has designed a fabulous website to host the awards and has also called upon four highly respected teddy bear professionals to judge the competition.  There will even be an official awards ceremony to honour the winners!  

This new competition is such good news for the bear industry and I am certain the 'Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards' is destined to become the UK's flagship teddy bear competition!

If you would like further details please visit:

www.bearartistry.com 

Christmas Treasures!

There are only two weeks until the online 'Christmas Treasures' show and my work table is covered with all things twinkly and festive.  Next week will be a very busy week, as I put the festive finishing touches to my show bears.

'Christobel'

While we wait for this fun show to open on the 18th November, please spare a moment to pop over to the Christmas Treasures Show Preview and have some festive fun choosing your favourite show preview bear from each category. 

Thank you!

2011 Golden Teddy Award winners, featuring Ken Yenke!

You may remember I was delighted to receive a 'Golden Teddy' award nomination earlier this year.  I didn't win my category (but was happy to lose to Kelly Dean, a very old friend and fabulous bear maker!) 

I would like to share the awards presentation with you.  It gives a great sense of the importance of international competitive work and for me, it's such a huge thrill to hear my name being read out in the presence of world expert Ken Yenke!  By the way, please watch the video right through to the end because there is a very charming talk given by Ken about how 'teddy' came into being and it's well worth waiting for!

If you would like to know more about Ken Yenke and his work, please visit his website at:

Ken Yenke

Aside from being museum curator for 'The Chelsea Toy Museum', leading teddy bear authority Ken has also written several books about teddy bears and their fascinating history.  I am lucky enough to own 'Bing Bears and Toys' (published by Schiffer) and can tell you his passion for the subject really shines through!

 Bing Bears and Toys, by Ken Yenke

The Golden Teddy Awards are hosted annually by American teddy bear magazine 'Teddy Bear Review' and as you can see from the slideshow, competition for the coveted 'Golden Teddy' is fierce!

An Honourable Mention!

Well, well, well, I certainly wasn't expecting that!  I opened my email this morning to learn my entry 'Kefalonia' has received an 'Honourable Mention' in the 2011 URSA Awards! 

'Kefalonia' - an 'Honorable Mention' in the 2011 URSA Awards!

The main competition nominees were announced quite some time ago and as Kefalonia didn't make the top three in her 'big bears/undressed' category, I assumed that was it, game over - but no, apparently Kefalonia achieved a very respectable fourth place and as the final category placements were so close, she has been honoured her with this lovely ribbon award ... which has made my day!

A Third Hat Trick!

Since becoming a recent convert to the joys of modern telephonic communication, I have developed a secret guilty pleasure - that of collecting my email and checking my Facebook account on my Iphone, from under my snuggly duvet each morning.  So imagine my delight this morning, when even before I had raised my head from my pillow, I spotted a link to the 2011 'Teddy Bear Artists and Friends' Award winners webpage and there listed, were three of my own entries, each of which had scooped third place in their category!

'Elwyn' - 3rd place in the 'polar bears' category

'Autumn' - third place in the 'groups' category

'Fleur' - third place in the 'creative doll' category

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for my work!

What a lovely start to this beautifully sunny Autumn day!

If you would like to see all the TBAAF Award winners, please visit:

TBAAF Award Winners