Big Blue Bear was painted on a rainy weekend in the Poconos. I wanted to paint an animal, as we were discussing alebrije, fantastical animal figures from Oaxaca, Mexico (more here), in an art workshop led by collage artist and painter Dar James. The wooden animals from Mexico are amazing, imaginiative and detailed. So that art form was an inspirational jumping off point for this work.
The bear idea developed out of the time of year, as the black bears of Pennsylvania are emerging from their dens now. The pattern and colors came from my recent color explorations.
The use of the color blue on the bear and the folksy style make it whimiscal, I think. The bear’s expression is a bit anxious, which gives him personality. This may be the begining of a new series.
The painting is 9” by 12” on canvas board. Reach out if you are interested
Email: colleen@greencottagestudios.com..
