My name is Jai Stuart and I have always been interested in all forms of art. From an early age I was drawing or sculpting anything that caught my eye on beautiful Vancouver Island. As a child my mother and father would indulge me by letting me bring home clay from a nearby beach to pacify my creativity. In my late teens, while attending the University of Victoria, I focused mainly on various painting mediums and sold paintings through galleries on Vancouver Island. During this time I also started to make soft sculpted dolls, some life size, for shop display windows around Victoria. I have advanced and modified my sculpting skills over the years to include polymer clay to make smaller more detailed characters; they are figurines that range from fantasy fairies to Santa. I have also continued my love of painting in water color and acrylic and have cards and prints available.
For the last few years I have started making customized teddy bears and other animals. The face starts with 6 pieces of fur hand sewn together to form a fur ball. Then I painstakingly hand sculpt with scissors to form the unique face. Every teddy is completely unique with their own special personalities. I can never duplicate a face and with my hand paint the eyes their personalities come alive. Depending on the animals people request I modify or design new patterns. I hand sew these creations with upholstery thread, make the 5 joints of wood disc and metal then design and sew the outfits they wear. All the left feet are signed with a signature Jai to show they are authentic Jai Bears.
The gently poseable art dolls I make start with a wire frame. I then sculpt the head, feet, claws etc. out of a combination of polymer clay. When these have hardened I paint them, fill the bodies with quilt batting, plastic shot or wood chips and sew and glue the fur on. Some, like the dragons, then become bejeweled others I make outfits for.