About

Whimsybear was born from the infinite imagination of Mary Melcher.  She and her team of "merrymakers" revel in the opportunity to share her musings with the world!

Joining her in the fun are Patrick O'Brien and Julie Fajardo.  Patrick (Mary's favorite, but, only son) enjoys marketing and business management, while Julie takes flight as a social butterfly, specializing in sales and distribution management.

Reminisce with us about the joys of youth!

    

 

Behind the Art:

Mary was born and raised an artist in Chicago, Illinois. As a child, she began drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil, and has been drawing and painting ever since. After graduating from the American Academy of Art located in Chicago, she spent her 20s doing some soul-searching in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At age 30, she fulfilled her childhood dream, and moved back to Wisconsin to settle down at her old family farm. Originally purchased in 1900 by her great-grandfather, the 120-acre farm has belonged to the Melcher family for 117 years! Mary is delighted to work out of a small studio in her home, always surrounded by a rich family history and a wealth of inspiration. Strongly connected to the farmhouse and the land on which it stands, Mary is there to stay.

Mary describes her artistic style as whimsical, and is grateful that it has served her well in her chosen field of Illustration. Professionally, she has been working for the wonderful greeting card company, Recycled Paper Greetings Inc., for nearly 35 years. In addition, she's illustrated a handful of children's books for industry-leading publishers such as Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Kidsbooks, LLC.

Mary spends her spare time visiting the movie theater, daydreaming, consuming anything sugar, doing Pilates, reading, traveling, laying in the grass and watching the clouds drift by, creating, creating, creating, and most of all hanging out with her Sweetie, her family, her friends, and her pile of dear fur-children. Also, there's a little-known fact about her...she used to be magic! :)

Mary considers herself incredibly fortunate to be living her dream.

To conclude this bio is a message from Mary: 

"I hope my creatures and the lovely scenes they reside in touch your heart, and bring you back to a time in your life that was a little less complicated, a little less stressful, a little sweeter, and a little more magical!"