Web Site Designed by:
Eric Holstad
eholstad@gmail.com


©2008 Mary Holstad & Friends
mary@maryholstad.com

For a selection of artist pieces currently available to order, go to the Current Artist Bear Gallery. There is normally a 1 to 3 month backlog of artist bear orders. However, a much shorter wait for completion of a new order is possible due to open areas in our schedule that sometimes occur. The estimated completion date for a new order will gladly be given to anyone before or after they place an order.

Mary Holstad & Friends^TM artist bears are known and recognized by serious bear collectors all over the world. They have been featured in articles in many international bear publications and have won a large number of international awards. They are also permanently on display in museums in the U.S.A. and Japan. The animals are made entirely by Mary Holstad. The "& FRIENDS" in the business name refers to the animals designed by Mary, not to a group of friends that help make the animals. World renowned artist/designer Mary Holstad does all the designing and the machine and hand sewing on the animals. With very few exceptions, Mary also designs all of the clothing worn by the artist limited edition animals. On some of the editions, Mary designs and makes the clothing for the first bear and then has the clothing for the remainder of the edition sewn for her. On other editions, Mary sews all the clothing herself.

In 1991 Mary’s husband, Mark, quit his job as a computer programmer for the Boeing Company to help Mary with her growing business. Since then, he has handled the "business" end of the business - including photography, shipping, website maintenance, correspondence with customers and all the miscellaneous other tasks associated with running a small business. Mark’s role is to allow Mary to concentrate her time exclusively on the parts of the business that require her artistic talents and sewing skills.

The MH&F artist bears are made of the finest materials available. The mohair and quality synthetic furs are imported from England and Germany. The bears are fully jointed which allows the arms, legs and head to turn. Other animals are either fully jointed or have a non-jointed body with a jointed head. All bears which hold pets feature armatured arms to allow the arms to bend and hold the pet securely - unless otherwise indicated.