Breaking in as a Character Artist

I've been having trouble trying to find a job as a 3D Character Artist. I understand that it is a very important position and I don't take it lightly. I believe I have the stuff to be one of the best. I've been sending out cover letters everywhere and I don't hear a peep. The few people who responded to turn me down have told me I am good, but I don't have the experience yet.
So my question is, should I be seeking a prop/generalist 3d artist position instead? It seems like it doesn't matter how good you are now, but whether you have experience. I understand that there is a lot of weight on a Character Artist's shoulders. Every studio wants great characters. Could I be naive to believe that I could break in on talent alone?

My portfolio: ivanbkaula.com
CGSociety gallery: ibakula.cgsociety.org/gallery/

I'm not sure if you've found work yet but from looking at your portfolio you definitely seem qualified for that position. Most studios that bring up experience only use that as an excuse to not hire people, they want someone over qualified to work for a the pay they're offering, hoping they'll get someone from Infinity Ward or some other top notch studio. Also, they look for someone who could possibly fit into a project currently in development and match up with the current team but they have to realize that eventually they will be forced to open up to those without 4+ years experience.

Well your Portfolio site is down, but what I get from your CGSociety gallery is that you're not showing any technical know-how in terms of game modeling, just decent character design. You need to show more than just your high-res sculpts and beauty shots altered in photoshop - polycounts, wireframes, your UV layout, normal maps, time, work flow, etc. Show them that you can take a low-mid polygon character model and make it look like the high poly sculpts you have up there. Don't leave anything open to guessing as an employer is always going to assume the worst case scenario.

The job market sucks right now, so when you don't have experience to fall back on you have to cover every other question an employer may have about your work flawlessly with your reel to even be considered. Look over your reel and ask yourself if it answers every question you can think an employer would want to know about your work.