Derry artist to release her first children’s book inspired by lost Teddy Bear

Dawn Coulter Cruttenden, who is originally from Derry but has lived in England for a number of years, said she initially wrote the book to cheer herself up after she failed to get onto a course.

However, when she showed it to her husband and other family members their reaction encouraged her to get it published.

Dawn spent many years working in advertising as a copy writer.

She had attended art college and all through her working life continued to draw because she loved it.

After having her two daughters, Dawn left the advertising world and began to teach children’s art classes to both children and adults.

She continued to draw and exhibit and sell her work through local galleries.

“It was all seascapes and things I thought people wanted to buy. At home however I was drawing fairy tale characters because, thanks to my mum, who always bought me fairy tales as a child, that is what I loved.

“I escaped into this world of fairies.”

Dawn started to sell some of them, but the majority were sold to none other than Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks.

“She bought everything I had at that time and they’re in her home in LA now. We went to a Fleetwood Mac gig and Stevie’s sister told me she loved my work. I thought she was talking about someone else but then she started talking about the fairies and I couldn’t believe it.”

The fairy drawings also led to Dawn’s appointment as the first female artist in residence at the Savoy Hotel.

She did a series of pictures of Nellie Melba, to celebrate the birthplace of the Peach Melba, and designed the hotel’s Christmas card for 2016.

Dawn says that a lot of things in her career happened by chance and it was scrolling through social media that led her to the tale of a lost bear.

“Two years ago I was on Twitter and saw a Tweet about an autistic six-year-old who had lost their Teddy Bear. I could remember one of my daughters losing their baby dolly when she was wee and how devastated she was. When I thought about how awful it was for her, could you imagine how many times worse it would be for a little boy who relies on his teddy bear?”

Dawn did a quick sketch of a bear and sent it to Jack Barnfield’s father.

“I told Jack that Teddy has gone looking for honey and he will be back soon. We got so much press attention afterwards and around a month later I met Jack to present him with a proper portrait of Bear, as it never came back.   

“The bear was so important to Jack because he couldn’t handle people or social situations. By holding Bear up to his face and speaking through him he was able to communicate with people. Bear was Jack’s bridge between himself and other people.”

Dawn said Jack was so kind and inspiring, it helped disprove many assumptions she had about children with Autism. 

She sat down and wrote the book to cheer herself up after she didn’t get onto a Masters course.

“I showed it to my husband and he had to leave the room because he started to cry and then I sent it to my sister-in-law and she had the same reaction. Although it is about a boy who loses a bear, it is about any kind of loss, I think that is why adults are so moved by it because they have experienced more loss.

“The book is called Bear Shaped because that is the shape of the hole left behind and it is about how kindness and time can repair that.”

Bear Shaped is released next week and Dawn said she is both excited and nervous.

”It is deeply personal whenever you write or draw something as it is coming from within you and you are putting it out into the world. So it’s scary.”

Dawn hopes to do a book signing in Derry and some readings at local primary schools in the near future.