This is a special auction. All of the money from this auction will be donated to the North American Bear Center through Ebay’s Giving Works. The money will help build the Hope Learning Center.
I believe that much of the success I have had with my teddy bears is because of real bear called Hope.In January of 2010 a camera was placed in den of one of Dr Lynn Rodgers research bears. The bears name was Lily.Through that camera I had the privilege to witness Lily give birth to a cub called Hope. From her birth she became the subject of my studies. The video and close-up still photographs of her allowed me to really see the way bears, especially cubs, moved.This helped me to design bears with more realistic look and movement.I am very thankful to Dr. Rodgers, Sue Mansfield, and the North American Bear Center for what they have shown me about bears.But I am especially thankful for Hope.Although she is no longer with us she is and will forever be my muse.
I hope that you will visit their website, read their mission statement, and see the work they are doing to educate the world about bears.
I usually name my bears places in Arizona, but the North American Bear Center is in Ely, Minnesota, so this bear is named after a city in Minnesota. The city of Eveleth is about an hour from the Bear Center.
Eveleth has been created from design to completion by me, Joanne Livingston of Desertmountainbear.
She is not a cub, but a young bear. Eveleth is a research bear, and like all of Dr Rodger's research bears she wears a radio collar. Collars are not placed around the bears necks until they are ready to leave the protection of their mothers. She also wears a collar of brightly colored ribbons. These are placed around the bears necks in the autumn so that they will be easily identified during hunting season as research animals. Both of these collars are removable.
She is about 23" (58cm) tall standing,from her feet to the tips of her ears, although she does not stand on her own. She is about 16" (42cm) sitting.
He is made of dense Tissavel fabric, which is a luxury faux fur imported from France.
Her paws are leather, and her claws I sculpted of epoxy clay, (they are very hard, but not unbreakable.)
She has been filled with a combination of wool, polyester, and soft pellets, there are a few bbs added for weight. She has been softly stuffed for ease of movement. The soft pellets make her body make her squeezable.
She is four way jointed using disks, lock nuts, and bolts. There is no neck joint, instead a Lockline type plastic armature which runs from head to tail down the back like a spine. She can not turn her head like a traditional teddy bear, but more than makes up for that by being able to move herhead up and down, side to side and everywhere in between. Her arms and legs also have the same type armature to help with posing. To me the best thing about the bears is the way they move. I have spent lots of time working on this.
Eveleth's whole face is firmly needle felted with Navajo-churro wool which has a special place in Arizona history, because of that is the only wool I use to felt with. Strands of mohair have then been rooted into her felted face, and trimmed to give a realistic look. They are firmly in there and not easily removed. Because the bears faces are created like this, without a pattern, they can never be recreated, giving each bear an individual personality.
Her nose has also been needle felted of wool at the same time I do the face, it is all one piece. I use a many step process of sealing, sanding, and finally shading the wool to make a realistic nose.
Eveleth has glass taxidermy bear eyes. They are set into needle felted sockets.
I have made her a play ball of wool felt and fabric.
She wears a leather collar with a Desertmountainbear tag which is tied around her neck.
Like all of the bears I make, her left foot signed.
She will be sent with a picture hang tag and a Certificate of Authenticity.
I live in a smoke free home.
At least sixty hours of work goes into the creation of each of my bears. I am a self taught bear maker, and many of the techniques I use to make the bears I have developed myself. They are time consuming techniques, but I think that these techniques help give the bears I create a look that is uniquely mine. I hope you agree.
Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.
This auction ends on Sunday December 8th
Because of the special nature of this auction there will be no returns. The money will not be mine to return.
Thank you for your continued support.
See my other listings for more great items!
