MEET THE BEAR cover bears MUMmy'S
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LIZ
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ANDREA
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Throughout my life I have been drawn to mountains and wild open spaces and so it was no surprise to me that when I moved to the Scottish Highlands in 2012 I felt instantly at home.
I brought with me my passion for felt making and a range of skills including millinery, floristry, fashion and design,and spinning and weaving, and moved, with my partner Graham, into the almost derelict Dalmally Railway Station, a beautiful Victorian building which had been standing empty for over thirty years . Over the next few years we concentrated on restoring the station to its former glory and making it our home and my studio. We even found time to marry on the station platform ! My Hearfelt Studio has gradually gained local and national recognition, attracting a real variety of artistic talents and craft enthusiasts which has turned it into the hub of creativity it is today. It was during this period that I began selling Andrea's wonderful wildlife art in my studio but it was the sharing of numerous pots of tea that saw us become firm friends that share many interests and creative ideas. My ongoing commission work with Addison Publications and the creation of the Highgrove Florilegium felted woollen book cover means that occasionally there are large quantities of green and oatmeal felted wool to be found around my studio and it was just such a time that while sharing a particularly nice cup of Earl Grey and chatting about teddy bears - as is often the case when talking to Andrea - we came up with the idea that finds us where we are today, mummies to some rather special bears. |
Hi I'm Andrea, AKA 'The Mad Artist on the hill'....luckily for me the hill in question is on the west coast of Scotland which means I live and work in one of the most beautiful places in the country.
My home is a 160 year old railway workers cottage which I share with three ex battery hens, a slightly mad spaniel and an ever expanding hug of pre-loved teddy bears, including the Professor ( affectionately known as Gramps, he is in charge of keeping any visiting young whipper snappers in order and he takes his position very seriously ). I'm sure over time you will meet some of my other bears .... I've lived in the Highlands for almost twenty years and can't imagine living anywhere else as I find my surroundings feed and inspire my imagination and creative nature on a daily basis, and as a wildlife artist I couldn't be anywhere better. Most days walking my dog becomes a treasure hunt as this is when I indulge in one of my favourite pass times of searching out little gifts from nature, a freshly fallen acorn or that perfect pebble or shell - of course to those of us who choose to look closer they are really fairy boats, elf hats or love tokens - we all need to escape the mundane details of everyday life from time to time. Speaking of escaping the mundane I met Liz when she opened her magical studio a stones throw from my cottage and quickly recognised that I'd found a kindred spirit, someone else who is continually enchanted by the beauty of nature and all the amazing ways we can work with it.....she also makes a mean pot of tea so what was not to like. |
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