About Me
My Mum and I at a recent fair.
Hello! Many of you may know me through my own miniature artist bears. I trade as Mary Myrtle Miniatures and this year I am lucky enough to have been nominated for two Golden Teddy Awards and three TOBY awards. I regularly sell my bears at Hugglets shows, and in the past I have exhibited at the NEC Bears and Dolls show, Miniatura and Alexandra Palace.
I am passionate about fairs as I have grown up attending them! I helped my Mum sell her beautiful miniature dolls at a fair for the first time when I was six years old, and I spent my teenage years helping my Dad at dollshouse and miniatures fairs on many weekends of the year. I began selling my bears at the age of 15, and now that I am 24 years old, I am saddened by the apparent demise of bear fairs here in the UK.
Therefore, I have decided to do something about it. I am attempting something a bit different. Firstly, this event will be an all-artist event, in order to promote bear artistry as a recognised art-form. The stalls will be of many different shapes and sizes in order to encourage the artists to be particularly creative with their display. Therefore I am hoping that this fair will offer something new and different. It is certainly not an attempt to 'tread on the toes' of existing, successful bear fairs. It is also not an attempt to fill the gap left by recently cancelled shows. It is an attempt to try something new, to provide a gallery setting for bear artists in the UK and abroad to promote their work and find pleasure in meeting their collectors. I hope you will join me in making it a great success.
As well as organising this fair, and making my own miniature artist bears, I am also self-employed as a Sign Language Interpreter, after completing a degree in Deaf Studies and Sign Language Interpreting from Bristol University in 2004. I have since married my wonderful husband, who I will be roping in to help me organise this event. I will also be entailing the help of my Mum, who has recently chaired the Cheltenham Miniaturists Club in organising their first fair. I am sure her help and advice will be invaluable. I will also be pulling in any other members of my family that I can find to donate their time!!
As this event is raising money for the British Heart Foundation, it will be a non-profit making project. Therefore I ask for your patience and assistance in making this event a success, as I also have to find time for my other work!!
Big beary hugs,
Samantha
x
P.S. If you would like to read more about the organising of this fair, making of my bears, and other endeavors, then check out my blog: http://marymyrtleminiatures.blogspot.com/
