About Little Bears

I don't know exactly when the first little bear came to life. And to be honest, I don't really know why it was a bear in the first place.

It all started quite simply. I was playing around with traditional paper clay, seeing what it could do, but somehow the usual materials never felt quite right to me. Since I enjoy experimenting, I gradually began mixing and adjusting my own material. After several months of testing, I ended up with a mixture that suits me exactly the way I need it to. I named it MEDRA.

And somewhere along the way, while I was experimenting, the bears suddenly appeared. They simply came on their own.

Perhaps it also has something to do with a small childhood "trauma". I never had a real teddy bear of my own, so maybe I'm making up for it a little now. Only instead of plush, paper clay came along.

The bears usually don't begin with a precise plan. Some of them seem to have very definite opinions about who they want to be. They can remain unfinished for days or even weeks. They stand quietly in the studio or climb around the shelves, watching me work on the other bears and waiting until they finally reveal what they want to become. Sometimes they practically shout it at me, and sometimes they only whisper very softly.

Over time, I've learned that it is usually better to listen to them. Their own idea often turns out to be more truthful and more interesting than mine.

Maybe that is why I feel that each of them lives a little life of their own. One needs a hat, another needs wings, and a third wants nothing at all. One looks terribly important, another looks as if he has just done something he shouldn't have. And some simply wait patiently until I finally understand who they are.

MEDRA, the material the bears are made from, gives them a surface and appearance that feels slightly aged, as if they have already been around for a while and have a history of their own. They are not perfectly smooth or completely regular. And that is exactly what I like about them.

For some of the accessories, I use traditional paper modelling clay, which I adjust to suit my needs. Where finer detail is required, I also use oven-bake polymer clay. Each material has its own place.

The finished bears are surprisingly durable, but they are still made from a material that prefers dry conditions and a little care. They are not suitable for outdoor use or damp environments, and they are happiest when handled gently. After all, they are small, fragile creatures.

Over time, I also noticed something curious. Adults often seem to react more strongly to the bears than children do. Perhaps that is because, for children, their magical world still feels completely natural. A bear who gets up to something, travels, dreams, or learns to fly is nothing unusual. Adults tend to live a little farther away from worlds like that. And perhaps that is exactly why they enjoy returning to them for a while.

So if the bears of Medvědí ráj have any reason for coming into being, perhaps it is this: to remind us of a place where imagination has no fixed rules and anything is possible.

The bears are not for sale just yet. They are still, in a way, in the prototype stage, and their whole world is continuing to evolve. I keep trying new techniques, adjusting materials, and letting them gradually find their final form.

The bears are not for sale just yet. They are still, in a way, in the prototype stage, and their whole world is continuing to evolve. I keep trying new techniques, adjusting materials, and letting them gradually find their final form.