Mary Holstad and Friends&153; Part II

FOLLOWING ON FROM our previous article about Mary Holstad and her unique One-Of-A-Kind and Limited Edition animals, Mary has agreed to answer a few questions about her animal creations for this article.

Question 1: How long does it take you to create one of your dogs for selling on eBay?

Answer: The amount of time varies depending on the complexity of the animal being designed, how similar the new design is to previous designs of mine, and how many interruptions I have during the process.

In general, I spend a day on research and pattern making. Then two or three days making the artwork, plus another day of photography. Some of the more complex animals take quite a bit longer however.

Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie) Betty Lou Full grown Betty Lou has her own handbag to carry her on shopping trips - One-of-a-kind, 11.5" long, 11" tall.

Question 2: In addition to the dog breeds you have sold on eBay, are there other breeds you are contemplating doing in the future for eBay or other markets?

Answer: Yes, I am interested in making many different breeds that I haven't yet tried. Finding the appropriate fur is sometimes challenging. But if I can find the fur I want for a particular breed, it is usually only a matter of time before I start designing that breed.

Question 3: Is it difficult for you to part with your one-of-a-kind animals?

Maltese Tiffany 2 - Number 2 in a Limited Edition of 15 or less - 12" long, 11" tall.

Answer: Yes, it is, although it is often difficult also to part with the limited-edition animals. We have photos to help us remember all of the designs, and we always hope they are all going to good homes where they will be well cared for.

But it is still a bit tough to seal up each box and send it on its way. They are all my "children" with a lot of my time and effort invested in each one.

Question 4: Have you been surprised with the fantastic response from dog lovers your eBay auctions have received?

Shetland Sheep Dog (Sheltie) Nikki - One-of-a-kind, 22.5" long, 19" tall.

Answer: Yes, the initial response especially was overwhelming. I have received an amazing number of very nice e-mail messages for which I am very thankful. We thought these animals would do at least reasonably well because of their realism and posability.

With all the time and materials involved in the designing and making of each one, we definitely hoped they would do well enough to make the expense and effort worthwhile.

There are many of them, however, that have been pleasant surprises to us. Others that we thought were extremely nice we expected to do better on eBay than they actually did.

Question 5: Do you have a favorite of the dog models you have crafted for sale?

Answer: My favorite dog that I have made so far has been "Nikki" the Sheltie; although there have been many of them that come in a close second place.

Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie) puppy Rocky - Number 1 in a Limited Edition of 5 or less - 10.5" long, 10.5" tall

Question 6: Do you do special commission pieces? Would you attempt to base one on a photo of a favorite pet?

Answer: I have accepted many commission requests for animals in the last couple of years based on photos people have sent me. I will continue to take such orders as time permits so long as the buyer and I can agree on the details of the design and the price ahead of time.

On the pages linked to at the end of this article is the first part of this article about Mary Holstad along with a gallery of images of Mary's creations. The pictures in the gallery are larger than featured in this article and allow the reader to fully appreciate Mary's beautiful work and talent.

For more information on this artist and her products, see Mary Holstad's Internet website: http://www.maryholstad.com/.

This article has been updated from an earlier version that appeared in the October 2004 issue of Canine Collectables Courier published by Jan Irving of Berwick, Australia (http://www.erinrac.com/).