Day 166 "Hello, Honey" mixed 8 x 7

Years ago I painted a couple of honey bears with their iconic pointed caps in oil.  Tonight I copied the painting in ink, watercolor pencil, and marker.  I love the faces and character of these cute bears.  The light bounces around inside them, creating greens, oranges, and blues along with the background.  Each seems to have its own personality.  
This is my hundred sixty-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking as I continue to explore.

"Outside the Box" or "Shhh - It's a Secret"

North River Arts Society is holding its Outside the Box fundraiser again this summer.  Adjectives:  creative, fun, affordable, fascinating, exciting, mysterious, surprising, eclectic, diverse...                                       Background:  Artists and friends of North River Arts Society were invited to create a 8" x 8" works, in a different medium and/or style from their norm.  The works are displayed by number only (no names attached, no signatures) for a 3-week long silent auction.  Bidding on each piece (and there are hundreds of them) begins during the opening party on August 11 7-10pm and bidding continues through August 31st at noon.  The exhibit then stays up for another week with the artists' names revealed.  Prepare to be surprised.

The first year, I painted the honey bears above, which now live in New York City. As an oil painter, the medium was no different, but the subject matter was a big change, and in doing the painting I discovered my love of kitsch as subject matter. (I just looked up the definition of "kitsch" -

something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste.)  Can't say I completely agree with the definition... I firmly believe that some things are so kitschy they cross back over into beautiful and can become iconic, and it takes extraordinarily discriminating taste to see that inner beauty.  I have a number of them in my studio, but that's for another time.

The next year, I used pen & ink, watercolor, gold pen, and colored pencil to sketch the waves shown here as my entry. That piece lives in the next town over.

This year's entry is a secret until August 11th when all will be revealed (except the artist names).  All I can say is I went completely Outside the Box, and enjoyed the results so much, I'm planning to work more with this new exploration ... hmmmm.    

 

           

"Orange and Green", 8 x 6 inches, oil painting

                                                                     

 

$100 & $10 S&H

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I love the glow of honey on my spoon, in a lovely crystal honey pot, in a beautiful bottle or jar, or in a bear.  Seems the grocery stores now carry a lot of honey bears with flat tops.. certainly not the same as the iconic pointy shape, though I shouldn't discriminate against the flat top altogether... perhaps a painting for another time.  For now, I'm enjoying this quiet guy against his green backdrop. 

 I've contemplated painting him as the honey is used, a series of paintings with a horizontal line descending with each painting.  Somehow it strikes me as a bit macabre, a la Vincent Price as Dr. Phibes, but it might be interesting to line a few of the bears up with honey at differing levels, like musical water glasses.   Thanks for looking.