My name is Gina Zimmerman. When I was twelve years old, my best friend gave me a dollhouse. Thus began a lifelong hobby as a miniature enthusiast. I started my insane love affair with teddy bears and began collecting them in the 1990s. In 2001, I saw an eBay auction for a miniature teddy bear, and decided it was something at which I wanted to try my hand. I couldn't imagine anything better than combining two of my favorite things. Over the past 9-10 years, I have made many little bears.
I have sold bears on eBay, in private sales, donated a couple to local charity and fundraiser auctions, made some as gifts for friends and family members. I have also kept a few in my private collection, which includes approximately 300 teddies by various artists and manufacturers. I have watched with amazement as my skills have improved over the years. I believe that the bears I am now making are the best work I've ever done.
I am a mother and a housewife, and I take as much time from that busy schedule as possible to work on this passion. Needless to say, sometimes life happens or I get sidetracked, and there have definitely been lulls in my productivity in the past. I have several goals for 2011, including learning to make armatures to increase the poseability of my creations, and making some larger teddies. So far, all the ones I have made have been under about 3 inches tall. (A good place to start would be cleaning out and organizing my bear workshop, so that I can actually get in there to work!) I hope to keep growing and improving as an artist in this medium.
About the Artist
