Ingrid has had a few high points in her short bear-making career. She remembers her elation when she entered some teddies into her first bear competition and promptly walked away with three first places in the Miniature, Small and Medium categories respectively. The victory was all the sweeter for her since the winners were voted for by the public. Another highlight was the four bears, each with their own little teddy, that was ordered by the Korea Museum in December 2000.
Advice for beginner bear artists. "Attend classes right from the beginning, so you don't have to learn from your mistakes like I did, but remember that you must try and develop you own style as well. As far as sales are concerned - don't be afraid to try out new ideas but also don't expect too much at the beginning. Be prepared to work hard for little return until you have established a name for yourself."
Ingrid was born in picturesque Stellenbosch, but raised in Windhoek in the former South West Africa. She lived there until 1982 when South West Africa obtained its independence and became Namibia.
She is currently living in a coastal town Hermanus
in the Western Cape.
Meet Ingrid, a very talented miniature bear artist from Hermanus in the Western Cape.
Ingrid admits that she has always loved needlework and has made clothes for her and her children until the teddy bug bit her in 1999. She remembers that she had decided to make a few teddies after a friend gave her a pattern. Ingrid says that she initially thought of it as a hobby and intended making bears that a grandmother could buy for her grandchild and which would then become heirloom pieces. Her bears, however, were very popular and she resigned from her job managing the debt collecting section at an attorney's office to take up bear-making full time in February 2000. By the end of the year she could see that her miniatures were getting the most attention and together with the fact that mohair was so scarce, she decided to shift her focus to the little ones.
She has always kept a record of her bears and after she had made about 175 bears she started wondering were they all went to, especially the ones she sold to overseas visitors at her craft stall. She decided to start a birth register for her bears and also give each bear a little birth certificate. The proud new parents then had to sign the book and she says that some of the collectors quite enjoyed entering their names into the register. Since June 1999 she has made about 785 bears of which 735 are registered in the birth register. Her very small teddies which she calls 'Tiny Teddies' do not get entered into the birth register, since they are usually sold to be used as props in 12 scale dolls houses or are little teddies for her registered bears.
Ingrid's bears can be found at her website (www.ingebears.homestead.com) and at international bear shows and teddy shops.
Her bears range in size from 3 cm to 6.5 cm
- Written by Jacques Linssen -
Ingrid describes her style as "miniature dressed bears and bunnies, each one with their own personality". She says that she likes to see each of her bears have its own personality and for them to be interesting. Ingrid create one-of-a-kinds and sometimes offer limited edition bears.
There are many things that give her satisfaction and which inspire her in her bear -making. There is all the positive feedback, compliments and recognition that a bear artist receives. The bears themselves are a great source of inspiration. "Sometimes letting them go is the most difficult thing", she adds wistfully.
Her favourite fabric is Vintage Long Pile (UV) in soft natural colours, although it is not always readily available. She has worked with coloured and curly mohair as well, but is not as fond of it. The closest Ingrid comes to dying or colouring her fabric is when she bleaches some of her material to obtain a more natural colour.
Although Ingrid doesn't see herself as a great collector she swapped a few bears, but mainly because she likes the look of a particular bear or if they are made by an artist whom she admires. She does feel, however, that it is important to find out more about collectors and collecting, seeing that artists has so much contact with them
She just sums it all up by saying that she could never have dreamed how bear-making has taken over her life. Each new little creation just adds to her inspiration to start with the next one. She leaves us with one last warning ...
