Large Bear

Item Description

ABOUT THE BEAR: "I really enjoyed painting Clementine the Circus Bear out on my second story back porch. I live and work in my home in the flats of Holyoke and my back porch abuts an alley-way where folks of all sorts cut through to do anything from playing hopscotch, to bringing groceries home, to scoring heroin. During the six weeks of working on the bear I received more pleasantries and greetings from neighbors and passers-by than the entire 3 years of living here. It was a sweet thing and that is why Clementine bears the label of good will ambassador. In part, these unexpected friendly interactions exemplify what I'd like to accomplish through my art; to bring community together, to stimulate friendly dialogue, and to reach across our varied economic and sociological circumstances and get us all to smile at each other." - Amy "BannerQueen" Johnquest

ABOUT THE ARTIST: I've had a lifelong convoluted relationship with advertising. I grew up listening to my father's experiences as chief copy writer in a large ad agency. Later, with a fine art degree in hand, I went on to support myself as a sign painter and then graphic designer for newspapers. Despite years of resistance, these experiences came to find their way into my art. In 1998 at the age of forty, having painted my first sideshow theme art piece (Half Man, Half Beast Accordion Player) I was struck with a powerful and undeniable sense of finally finding my way home.

The old circus sideshow banners, like today's billboards, with garish depiction's and verbiage promise more than what reality behind the tent delivers. Using pop cultural references and imaginary scenarios, I play with text and imagery in a painterly way, finding double entendres and curiosities in the language of signage. These paintings are a balancing act of heartfelt sincerity and tongue in cheekiness. Often my work is based on actual people or animals I know. Usually they blatantly advertise things that are not for sale ‚and may not even exist. They smack with an odd combination of truth and invented history.

Sometimes when the work is commissioned it's like being hired to paint the sideshow of someone's living-room. This kind of portraiture puts a new twist on the family heirloom. In the end my images translate in any number of directions; political, evolutionary twists, loving tributes, weird science or good ol comic relief. A few commissions include: Disney Magazine, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and Madison Square Garden.
Amy "BannerQueen" Johnquest
www.bannerqueen.com

Item Special Note

This bear is a large bear.  The measurements are as follows:

Height:  54" from tip of feet to top of ears, 44" from base (where the bottom sits on base) to ears.

Width: circumference - approximately 92" around at the widest point (around the paws and back).  Footprint width is 21" and depth is 31".

Weight:  This bear weighs approximately 45 lbs.

Other useful information: The bear will come with the log that it was displayed on in the exhibit, and will include the plaque on the log. 

The bear is coated with a UV protective clear coat so that the paint will not fade with exposure to the sun.