  |
| The article
below appeared in Australian Bear Facts Review magazine November 2000
issue (No 25). It is reproduced here with permission. |
|
|
|
Everything Old is
New Again!
Text by Sue Fenton  As a child we moved
many times, and the only item I have from my past is my treasured old
Ted.I now live on a five acre farm, with my husband, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, complete with livestock and pets. I live in the small town of Appin, just outside Sydney, which is located 20 minutes west of the seaside suburb of Thirroul on the south coast of New South Wales. I owned a successful hairdressing business for a number of years and during this time I completed a seven year course at TAFE for Design and Tailoring. It wasn't until I sold the hairdressing business that I took up many crafts, including patchwork, embroidery and smocking. Seven years ago my sister introduced me to the obsession of making bears. When she took it up, I thought it would be nice to do something together. Our first class together was making bears from fur coats, which is not the easiest way to start. On each new venture I undertook, my husband would ask, "And how long will this one last?". Little did he know the extent of that statement. My sister and I were both hooked, the hunt was on, we searched op shops, second hand clothing, trash 'n' treasure for fur coats. Eventually my sister's passion died and I became more obsessed - if that's possible!  I
then discovered mohair and my passion flared, though to enable the
making of bears to continue, I had to sell some bears to buy some more
fur fabric. With a couple of friends I took a stall at the Cobbity
Markets (first Sunday of every month, near Camden) which we still
continue today. Customers often ask how you can part with such beautiful
bears, I get pleasure when someone buys them who really loves them.My love of antiques draws me to the aged, pre-loved bears. As I still work part time hairdressing, I'm often asking clients to borrow their pre-loved bears so I can reproduce them as authentically as possible. A client offered their 73 year old bear to me to keep. I was like a child waiting its delivery - five sleeps to go! I became a woman possessed day and night I worked waking in the early hours with ideas and waiting for daylight to get going again. The enjoyment and satisfaction in creating him was unbelievable. I then entered him into the Premier Bear Affair 2000 and won equal First with Lexie Haworth in the class "Reproduction of an Old Ted". When I thought it couldn't get any better I was voted "Bear Artist of the Year" by artists I've admired for years - it was a great honour. Designing my own bears is still a necessity to create the style I wish to achieve as the proportions of older bears are very different from the modern bear. I still attend classes whenever possible, as it is wonderful to share ideas and to learn from other artists. BF Sue Fenton's talents were rewarded with Australia' s highest award for bearmakers at the Premier Bear Affair in July 2000 when her reproduction of an old English bear was awarded Artist Bear of the Year.  |
| Return
to Bruin Bears Article Page |