Pat Aldrich

Pat lives in Belfast. She teaches art at Mt. View in Thorndike. She has shown at Maine Coastal Artist, Bowdoin, U of Maine at Orono, Bates, in PA and in CT. She was born in Philadelphia, has three children, two grandchildren and a dog named Henri Matisse.

Betsy Birge

Betsy lives in Liberty. She has drawn and painted and created all her life. She is native to Maine and moved to the Belfast area in the early 1980's. In the late 1980's she discovered the art of decorative painting, opened her own business and things mushroomed from there. She taught many people to paint through the Adult Education program in Belfast for a number of years. She takes classes whenever she can fit them into her schedule to keep feeding her creative spirit. She finds being in Waldo county helps her in that regard. There are so many creative people here and it is such a diverse and beautiful spot. The possibilities are endless!

Lucinda Bliss

Lucinda lives in Bath. For the last twelve years she has been a practicing artist in the Southwest, Chicago and New England. She has shown in galleries in all of these places. She curated "The Culture of Nature: Artists Explore the Environment, an interdisciplinary event including the written and visual arts, at The Chocolate Church Arts Center (August 2001). She teaches painting and drawing in the Continuing Studies department at the Maine College of Art.

David Carlson

David lives in Belfast with his wife Sarah and special dog, Shadow. He received a degree in art from the University of Maine in Orono in 1992. He is a big fan of unconventional materials and methods. He has created many two and three dimensional works as well as performance pieces.

Kenny Cole

Kenny lives in Monroe. For the past twenty years he has exhibited in galleries all throughout New England. This year's bear delves into the mysterious but ever more current theme of cloning and a not so well publicized theme of " bear" as currency. He believes art has the ability to present issues in a way that evokes feelings and emotions.

Melani Darrel

Melani lives in Rockland and is a descendant of the Abenaki tribes of the Penobscot. She has made most of her living doing art, drawing and painting, working in sculpture, stained glass, sign painting, graphic and promotional arts. Right now she is painting and sculpting from memory.

Janice Howell Derr

Janice lives in Queens Village, New York. Last year she and her sister visited Belfast and instantly fell in love with the friendly waterfront town. She writes that it had everything...including bears. While she has tackled all types of art, she is currently a custom calligrapher and a member of the Floral Park Art League where she has won many ribbons for her oil paintings and portraits.

Lyn Donovan

Lyn lives in Camden. She was born in Boston, and after education at Syracuse U. and The Museum School of Boston, painted in states from Texas to Maine. For a while she focused on family restaurants and caring for a family. Then she pursued a career as a therapist. Finally she has returned to art and now has her own studio and time to work there. She hopes to continue making art forever and ever.

Laura Dunn

Laura lives in Biddeford and writes:

Art is my life and my passion - I prefer a non-formulaic approach relying on intuition, and accident.

My artmaking goes from hyper to serene. It may be tenuous at times; I move from one medium to the next on impulse with multiple projects happening at once - it is an effort of unwavering pursuit. But, sometimes I get lost.

I am primarily interested in evidence of the sublime within the mundane. (The ordinary stuff of life we take for granted, when looked at from another angle, reveal multiple levels of denotation, both subtle, and phenomenal.

I collect and archive materials from my environment; natural objects, refuse, images, words, etc. This detritus will eventually find its way into my art. I rely heavily on the art of those who have gone before me.

These words help elucidate what I do: Observation, exploration, experimentation, re-contextualization.

And then again, sometimes I just paint for the sheer pleasure of it

LIFE EXPERIENCE

I grew up in Massachusetts, summering in southern Maine. In 1988 made it my home. I accepted a position in the Finance Department of the Portland Museum of Art. Then in 1990 I enrolled I at the University of Southern Maine with Art as my major.

In need of radical change of environment, I transferred to, and received a BFA (Summa Cum Laude) from, the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque. I lived and worked as a potter in New Mexico for 5 years from 1993 through 1998 during which time I returned to both Maine, and the Museum of Art in the summer months. From there I moved to Taiwan, Republic of China and taught English as a Second Language (ESL) from 1998 through 2000. While in Taiwan I studied Mandarin, and Chinese Brush Painting. Since returning to the America I have made the decision to resettle in Maine, my heart home.

East Belfast Elementary School

This school is located on the east side of Belfast and has contributed a full symphony of children in grades pre-K through 5th and the entire staff of East Belfast Elementary School collaborated in the "Gummy Bear" composition orchestrated by maestro David Hurley.

Shannon Jewell Flood

Shannon was born in Camden and now lives in Searsmont. She has three children; Kenny, Keri, and Kellie and one granddaughter, Alanna. She has been drawing for as long as she can remember. She has tried clay, oils, acrylics, watercolors, carving wood, pen, and pencil. One of her more recent efforts includes etching on glass. She has a dog named Singe and four cats who are her babies. Max is Maine Coon. He has won many ribbons. Fade, Marble, and Baby are her other cats. She also has two parakeets; Russell and Bode and one female Beta fish.

Annie Earhart Gray

Annie lives in Solon, Maine with her husband Andy and their Maine Coon Cats. She has painted two previous bears for Belfast Bearfest, "Four seasons Bear" 2000 and "Flora Friend of the Faeries" 2001. Annie is not only a painter, she is a writer; her first book "The Dawn Book" is in its second printing and her next book "My Guide, My Angel" is due to be published soon. Annie has been on the radio in New England for over two decades, beginning her career in Hartford, Ct. Currently she is an independent producer with her program "The General Store Variety Show" airing weekly on WERU, WMHB, and the internet www.ThePublicRadioStation.com. Annie is also a professional astrologer and metaphysician, offering personal consultations as well as teaching classes.

Marc Gup

Marc lives in Portland where he has a business known as Maine Mosaics. From playing with mosaics as a child to studying ancient cultures where mosaics depicted and enhanced everyday life, he has gone from part-time enthusiast to full time creator of modern day treasures. His materials date from the 1860's to the 1950's. It is important to him to design high quality, hand made American crafts. When he works in his studio he thinks of the people who previously enjoyed the items he is rearranging

Charles Hamm

Charles is presently the Fine Arts coordinator at Belfast Area High School where he teaches Crafts and Art Portfolio full time. He has taught there for thirteen years. Prior to that he taught at Maine College of Art where he received his BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing. He is supervising the work on a bear being produced by the various crafts students at BAHS. Their names will be signed on the bear. He is being aided in this endeavor by Suzanne Southworth. She also taught art in China and Oakland. She has a BS in Art Education from SUNY, New Paltz, New York.

Gordon Harde

Gordon lives in Sidney where he has lived for the past 30 years. He works as a registered pharmacist for the Veterans Administration Hospital at Togus, Maine. He is a woodcarver specializing in custom decoy and wildfowl carving. His work can be found in select Maine galleries and private collections. He is a charter member of the Maine Wood Carvers Association and also a member of the New England Wood Carvers Association and the National Wood Carvers Association.

Linda Briggs Hause

Linda moved to Belfast a year ago. Prior to that she lived on the North Shore of Boston working out of her Stone Farm Studio. In 2001 she renamed her studio Bear Naked Art where she paints oils and pastels but her main focus is on designing art furniture and murals. Her background is in education and sales. She and her husband, Tom, operate their new business named "The Mad Captain's Bed and Breakfast". She has three wonderful children; Ramsey who lives in Denver, CO, Mark who lives in Orlando, FL and Johanna who lives in Ketchikan, AK with her husband, Danny and her beautiful granddaughter, Rhiana.

David Hurley and Ken Oberholtzer

David of Swanville and Ken of Stockton Springs have collaborated in creating "Froggy".

Dave, an artist, created "Bridge Bear" in the first Bearfest. Ken is currently creating innovative experiments with lightweight concrete relief. David said, "I'll paint the bear if you make the mouth". Ken is responsible for the "frog's" mouth. They have rediscovered each other after graduating from Teaneck High School in New Jersey in 1970. Dave says the fact that he was born in Fontainbleau, France has nothing to do with inspiring "Froggy". "We're just two guys who love frogs." NOUS AIMONS LES GRENOUILLES

Michael D. Hurley

Mike writes: I was born in Germany 1950 as my father was rebuilding Europe and that's where my Mom was too. I have four brothers, one sister, and nine nieces and nephews. Never much of an artist but I always hung out, socialized, and married them. Helped start the Belfast Bearfest. Serial businessman. Currently serving as Mayor of Belfast. Prefer elephants over bears animally speaking. Married to the beautiful Ms. Therese Bagnardi. What I like best about the Bears is they make me laugh.

Mark Kuzio

Mark lives in Stockton Springs where he has a business, "Birdworks of Maine", a manufacturer of clay backyard bird products. He received his MA in sculpture from New York University in 1988. Since then he has exhibited widely in galleries all over the US. Many of his pieces have received awards and many are in permanent collections throughout the US.

Amy Leary

Amy lives in Bridgewater, Maine...in the county known as Aroostook County or THE COUNTY! The Celtic Belle of Belfast is the most structurally altered bear she has painted. Brian Leary was instrumental in transforming the bear into a functional bell. This bear is a tribute to Belfast. The bell is a play on the town's name. The Celtic designs are intertwined with the Irish origins of it. This bear is the eighth animal statue that Amy has painted. Over the winter Amy sculpted several of her own sculptures in plaster. Amy's educational background is in environmental science. She has linked her science background with her art by illustrating portions of the University of Maine at Presque Isle's biology manual, and by painting a mural of a coral reef for UMPI's Northern Maine Museum of Science. Other interests are writing, herpetology and perennial gardening. Amy and Brian's daughter Jennifer attends the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and son Brian is working toward a career in talk radio. Amy works at home as a portfolio analyst for a Boston-based mutual fund company.

Cathy Melio

Cathy lives in Stockton Springs. She is an artist, radio producer, media activist, and educator. She has been exhibiting her paintings throughout New England since 1980, and hosting a radio program called "Off the Cuff" on community radio WERU since 1988. In 1996, she co-founded the Grassroots Radio Coalition, which produces an annual national Grassroots Radio Conference and promotes awareness of citizen access to media. She teaches Oral Communication at Unity College.

This will be her third year painting a bear for Belfast Bearfest. Her previous bears were Iris (2000) and Cosmos (2001).

Hannah Nelsbach

Hannah is originally from Germany, now lives in Tenants Harbor. She has taught workshops and her work was included in numerous exhibitions. Her pieces have been sold around the world. She has written and illustrated a book, titled "Fairytale about the phenomenon of Indian Summer" In 1997 she won a "Writer's Digest" award for outstanding accomplishment in self-publishing. Currently her passion is to set poems, music and emotions in color. For Hannah colors represent feelings, both in terms of her interpretation of her subject matter and the filter of her own emotions.

Doug Saball and Jonathan Saball

This father-son duo live in Unity. Doug is a recreational artist who has won ribbons for various art forms over the past 30+ years. Doug has displayed his artwork at several shows in Portland, Unity, Gardner MA, The Maine State Sportsmen show, and various agricultural fairs throughout New England. He enjoys spending time with his three sons and wife in outdoor and church activities.

Jonathan Saball is a 16-year-old student who attends Mt. View High School and Waldo County Technical center. He is presently learning to weld for the use in sculptures. His interest are fishing, fly tying, hunting, pinewood derbies, model rocketry, balsa plains, and art. For the past three years he has taken first place ribbons at the Maine State Sportsmen Art Exhibit, Junior Division. He has also won various ribbons and awards from agricultural fairs and pine wood derbies in Central Maine. Jon's future aspirations include college with art courses.

Ellen Sinclair & Philip McKay

Ellen from New Hampshire and Philip from San Francisco are new to Belfast. They both moved here last, partly because of the Bearfest. Philip has been painting for years...and feels that art has always been the most unique and complete way in which a culture communicates with itself. Ellen spent most of her adult life working with children and encouraging them to be creative. Now it is her turn.

Paula R. Spencer

Paula, or Monet was raised in Michigan, attended Delta State University and Mississippi State University. She majored in painting and minored in sculpting. At present Monet is a resident of Liberty. She freelances in multi-mediums, specializes in papier machie and cat paper works.

Lynnette D. Sproch

Lynnette lives in Belfast and is an art teacher at Belfast Area High School. She has given art lessons to children through adults since she moved here 10 years ago. Her high relief coastal tiles sell in area shops, including Mainely Pottery and Maine Gathering. She is looking forward to teaching a seminar at the National Theater for the Working Handicapped in May. Her youngest daughter, Laura, is in her first year of college, and her oldest daughter, Emily, lives in NY. Her husband, Rich and she are presently surviving the empty nest syndrome.

Stone Soup Kitchen

Souper Bear was cooked up by three of Stone Soup Kitchen's cooks. Its purpose is to bring attention to the fact that a soup kitchen exists in Belfast and to emphasize that it operates on the same premise as the story for which it is named. Many businesses, sevice groups, religious organizations and individuals donate time, goods and money to feed anyone wanting to share a meal.

Erik Hardin was the first to say that the Souper Bear was an idea whose time had come. He not only offered enthusiam but- what was more important- "knowhow".

Erik settled in Belfast after living in New York City, Hawaii,Mississippi, California, Cape Cod Mass. and whose roots began in Ohio. His father is a fulltime artist and art conservator. Erik's interest and love of the arts are life-long as well.

Scott and Roberta "Bertie" Gilpin are parents of six grown children and, at last count, 11 grandkids plus one great grandchild- all living out of state. Scott's background had been the suit and tie world of IBM for over thirty years. Dealing with the problems of helping bring up six kids paid off when it came to creating Souper Bear. Bertie has spent most of her life being a mom to their children. Any prior artistic endeavors were in creatinf Haloween costumes for one or another of the kids plus aiding and abetting with home work projects for school. For Bertie Souper Bear became Something between one of the kids and a school project. The day the bears were unveiled was reminiscent of six first days of kindergarten.

It took the challenge of Souper Bear to bring out talents until now untapped. Erik supplied the knowhow and artistic talents needed. Scott learned that duct tape and "Bondo" are miracle products and how to use them. Bertie plied her skills with the sewing machine and paint brush.

Sheila Holtz sews, embroiders, crochets, and quilts for H.O.M.E. Crafters Co Operative in Orland, Maine. She is now a full time scholar in residence at The Institute for Advanced Thinking, 50 Salmond Street, Belfast Maine, 04915 where she edits and publishes Bern Porter International Bi-Weekly Reader of the Scholars of the Institute for Advanced Thinking.

Leslie Peters supplied the carved vegetables in the soup pot. Leslie's talents are well known throughout the mid-coast. Many of her pieces can be seen at the pemaquid Craft Co-op.

Waldo County Preschool and Family Services (WCPFS)

Waldo County Preschool and Family Services (WCPFS) has been supporting families and children since 1983 with programs designed to meet the diverse needs of families in Waldo County. All of our programs, services and staff are guided by the desire to make a positive and lasting impact in the lives of children and families. WCPFS has high quality early education and child care centers in Belfast, Searsport and Unity and pre-kindergarten programs in East Belfast, Frankfort, Searsport, Stockton Springs and Swanville (a collaborative effort of WCPFS, MSAD34, MSAD56 and Head Start). The Child and Parent Council, Parent Education, Teen Parent, and Family Support Programs work with families in developing skills to lead healthy, productive and enjoyable lives.

The decision to create a Belfast Bear came from parents participating in a WCPFS parent support group. These parents first met during a parent education class and wanted to continue to meet after the series ended. In discussing fun activities for parents and children to do together the family theme for the Belfast Bear emerged. The bear project has become a child-parent-community collaboration with participation in many forms.

Lindsay May Weirich

Lindsay, a Maine native lives in Orrington. She has been steeped in the richness of Maine's seasons and landscape her entire life. It is the constant change of environment that fuels her artwork. Her work is mainly figurative, drawing inspiration from her models and everyone she meets. To her everyone has a story, is interesting, is worth the effort to find out what treasures people hold inside. The is why she has chosen to participate in the Belfast Bearfest. She wants to put art in the lives of people that she finds interesting, both friends and strangers.

In addition to painting, Lindsay is also the owner/director of the Art Studios of Bangor where she shares her love of art by teaching to children and adults.

Misko Willis

Misko has lived in Belfast since the early 1980's when she and her husband John moved here from Michigan. She grew up on a farm in southern Michigan and has always had a fondness for animals. She remembers the names of many of these pets. One duck she speaks of with great humor was called Henrietta. She majored in art at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and has painted ever since. For years Misko painted watercolors of animals, specially frogs, and also a rainbow series of groupings of animals in acrylics. Now she has returned to her love of painting in oils. Misko is responsible for the "Willie" bear graphic used to raise money for the Belfast Bearfest 2002.