Gemma Cadge   

   Born in 1972 at the coast of Caspian Sea in the town of Makhachkala in the family of a known in the town dressmaker. Since her childhood Gemma has been thinking out and drawing new cuts of dresses for her mother's clients. However, this was not realizable enough to turn her hobby into profession. After finishing school she entered the faculty of journalism of the Dagestan State University and successfully graduated from it. During the period of training Gemma has not ceased to be interested in modeling and designing of clothes, and with the aim of entering the Textile Academy in Moscow she took private lessons at the studio of an artist-painter. The training was interrupted, as having received the diploma of a journalist Gemma moved to Moscow, where she changed not one trade. It was stage of trials and errors, hopes and disappointments - the so-called "school of survival", which all the same has helped Gemma a great deal in determining her vocation. At one of the complicated stages of her life Gemma has a great interest in psychology, and a consequence - search of herself, self-realization. In 2001 she finished the course "Collection bear Teddy", and in 2002 - the course "Porcelain Doll" at the School of Doll Design of Svetlana Voskresenskaya. Participation in the first art exhibition "Debut", which took place at the Vakhtanov Doll Gallery (Moscow, Central Artist's Hall - January of 2002) has become the beginning of Gemma's creative development. Since then Gemma does not stop collaboration with the greatest in Europe doll gallery, but during the last years her works are oftener hide from spectaculars' eyes, as they go off practically "from home". Despite this the author tries once a year to postpone a ten of her works for participation in the world major exhibition of collection bears "TEDDYBAR TOTAL" (April, Munster, Germany). In March 2003 Gemma Cadge opened the first and the only studio ("Dickie") in Russia for manufacturing of limited number pressrun mohair collection bears Teddy. At the same time Gemma has been elaborating her own technique - stuffing "effect of alive". The idea of organizing of the first in Russia specialized exhibition "TEDDYMANIA 2004", which was proclaimed to be yearly. At the grand opening of the exhibition - the 19th of November - that day was proclaimed the Day of the Russian bear Teddy. In January of 2005 there was published the 1-st in Russia illustrated teach-yourself book for manufacturing of bears Teddy in Russian and in English, which author is Gemma Cadge. Recently Gemma has been getting deeper into her individual creative work and that is why she tries to spend more time at home or out of the borders of Russia.

       Anastasia Kuptsova

   The author learnt about existence of collection Teddy bears a little bit earlier than 2 years ago. It all began with a joke. Anastasia has been already working for a long time at a major and serious company, when her eyes were struck with a short advertisement, which was offering teaching to make toy bears. "Can you imagine that I shall be able to make toy bears with my own hands!" -said she to her colleagues, who smiled to that statement of hers. Anastasia for her life has been fond of different kinds of fancy needle -work: she has been always knitting something, sewing, re-making, and re-coloring. Those processes were very absorbing. A lot of her author's works turned out to be so attractive, that they can be taken on and worn. Not many people know that Anastasia has become the very first pupil of Gemma Cadge. In November of 2001 it was Gemma, who passed that love for bears to her, which subsequently has become the basis for a new animation. Joy from the process of creation, bringing into the world of something new - Anastasia was short of all this in her life. Then there has begun a complex and the most interesting stage of her own creative development, which coincided with founding and development of Studio DICKIE. The trip to Munster (Germany) to the International exhibition "TEDDYBAR TOTAL 2004" could not but load Anastasia Kuptsova with a great creative charge. Meantime popularity of bear Teddy started to grow in Russia too. The success of the 1-st Moscow exhibition of collection bears "TEDDYMANIA 2004", in which organization Anastasia has taken participation, surpassed all the expectations and showed how bear is close to the Russian spirit. There was a piece of success for the author herself. Her work "Mishenki" was reckoned the winner in the nomination "The best composition of bears" and the "Miranda" won the 2-nd place in the nomination "The best characteristic bear". Besides Anastasia's parents, having decided at their family board not to let their daughter's work out of the family, became the owners of the "Mishenki". The skills, which Anastasia have acquired during the period of her training at the Moscow State Academy of Light Industry in the speciality "Design Engineer", help her to work with different materials and patterns. The most interesting stage in making of a collection bear, in Anastasia's opinion is giving finishing touches to a collection bears' image. At her master-classes Anastasia Kuptsova with pleasure teaches authors-beginners not only the basics of making a collection bear, but also disclose some secrets, which she has gained through her own experience. For example, how to embroider nose properly and artistically, to sew eyes, to dye and tone a bear. "I am sure that somewhere at the stage of assemblage a bear begins to live its own life, proves to be a personality and then my task is - at a very subtle level to give ear to its requests. I have only to watch, how an image is drawing itself out under my hands".