Maray Bears - About the Teddy Bear Artist

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

My name is Margaret Bubner, I am a bear artist & designer from South Australia.

I live in a pretty tree studded suburb called 'Banksia Park' which nestles at the base of the surrounding foothills approximately half an hour's drive from Adelaide – the capital of South Australia.

I am English by birth but have been living in Australia since 1970 with my Australian husband & children.

For as long as I can remember I have always been totally interested in all types of art & craft-work.

I am the eldest of eight children, so our household was always filled with the noisy sounds of children at play.

Even as a small child I just loved working with my hands, just ask my poor long suffering mother who would go into her kitchen to find her sink full of cane that I would be soaking ready to work with. Or her work areas full of rubber moulds of my favourite animals filled with plaster that I was waiting to set so I could paint them.

My fascination with all sorts of handcrafts has stayed with me all my life.

Before I started with my bears I used to be a porcelain doll maker teaching students how to make reproduction antique porcelain dolls.

Then one day in 1986 one of my girl friends wanted to go to a teddy bear workshop but she was too shy to go on her own. So I went along to keep her company. That was when I was struck with the "teddy virus".

After that, whenever I visited the doll & teddy bear shows I used to hurry over to the teddy bear stands admiring all the wonderful bears. I knew then that I would have to learn how to design & make my own bears.

Never did I imagine when I first started to make bears that my furry friends would take me to so many countries & allow me to meet so many wonderful people.

By 1994 my bears had taken over completely & I started up "The House of Maray – Home of that Special Bear". Maray came about from a combination of my name Margaret & my husband's name Ray.

Over the years I have been fortunate to win many rosettes & awards. Indeed some of my bears have found their way into Teddy Bear Museums in both Japan & the USA.

Early in 1998 my bears were featured in the teddy bear section of an Australian television collectable show called TVSN. They enjoyed this so much that they are now frequent visitors to the show.

Travel is now a part of my life. My bears & I enjoy visiting different countries to attend shows. This also gives me the opportunity of seeing many wonderful bears by talented artists from far & wide.

One of my favourite countries is Japan, which I have been fortunate to visit many times. Over the years I have made many friends that I look forward to meeting on my teddy bear trips.

In late 2002, 'MarayBears – Home of that Special Bear' was born.

People sometimes ask me if I get tired of making & designing bears. The answer is a big resounding 'No'. I still get a big thrill out of seeing a new design coming to life before my eyes. There is always a new technique to try or a new design that I cannot wait to draw. Most of all though, it's that special look on a person's face (man, woman or child's) when they are holding the bear that has been calling to them.

Another question I am sometimes asked is do I have any hobbies.

One of my hobbies when I am not spending time with my furry friends is painting. My favourite medium for painting is the combined use of pastels & acrylics.

I think painting is where I get my love of colour & colour blending. Many times I will dye my mohair to achieve that certain colour I can see in my mind's eye for a bear that is waiting to be born.

Another hobby is writing poems & short stories. I have been very fortunate in having a number
of my poems published in the United States.

My ambition in life is to be thought of as a good bear maker; one whose bears bring joy and
happiness into people's lives.

Time to go my furry friends are calling to me :)

Thank you for reading,
Margaret