Artemisia

by Lucille Iverson

Artemisia bear is named after the pirate Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus, around 480 BC, who is the first recorded woman pirate. She was named after Artemis, the goddess "renowned for independence, beauty and forcefulness."

She was a wealthy woman in her middle years (and widowed; upon her husband's death, the sovereign power and wealth passed into her hands); who captained a fighting ship, and was considered to be an Amazon and a feminist.

She is recorded by Herodotus (Greek historian) in the story of her fight against the Greeks in the Battle of Salamis, a key battle in the Persian Wars.

"The reality must have been that many coastal women were involved in sea-related work: boat-owners, fishing people, sailors' and pirates' mothers, as well as whores, food providers, and shipboard service workers."

Women also sailed as deck hands on board ship where they dressed as men and did the work of men.

Artemisia and my bear are connected by their fighting spirit, imagination, and wit. My bear has a cub (riding on her back) and fights for her life and freedom in a world which gives her little room or credence.

Cup o' Joe, anyone?

by Marcia McDavid

Have you pondered the branch, broken last winter, dangling by a strand yet full of blossom? Do you believe that within every seed drifting from the thistle, there is promise of growth? Do you think spiders, so busy with the design that spins them, get out of breath? It is only since moving to the magnificent state of Maine that my lifestyle allows musings motivated from the wonders of nature.

Jarrod Jarvis, creator of "Morning Bear," states he has always had an interest in the natural world. "Growing up in Maine," says Jarvis, "was a rewarding experience, granting me a viewpoint of nature's independent function from modern civilization." Born in Quincy, Mass., Jarvis moved to Maine when he was too old to crawl and too young to walk. It was in his early years in Monroe that he started drawing pictures of ducks, houses and trees. He also spent time constructing miniature cities out of books and various materials.

Between drawing pictures of nature and constructing miniature cities, Jarvis says, "I began to develop my viewpoint of nature as a beautiful force with its own internal cycles, different from that of modern civilization." Jarvis developed an interest in the place where these two worlds connect, where the intersection between humans and the natural would occur.

Jarvis's "Morning Bear" was inspired from the fact that one function humans and bears have in common is awakening from sleep. Some people rely on coffee to motivate themselves through a busy day, which may consist of job duties or personal errands. Bears awake from hibernation with their own instinctual motivation into natural, daily functions, such as catching fish or raising their young.

Jarvis's "Morning Bear" is "a visual hybrid of the moment when a person and a bear awake." To depict a bear and human in one body, Jarvis created pajamas and a coffee cup adorning a black bear. The color blue signifies nighttime and the patterned stars suggest decorated sleep wear. The bear is black, in reference to the black bears in Maine.

"Morning Bear" was prone the first time I saw him down by the Belfast Harbor. I wondered if he was resting up before taking a kayak tour with Harvey Schiller. He looked perfectly content lying on his back with coffee cup at the ready. (Photos by Marcia McDavid)After high school, Jarvis attended the Maine College of Art, taking classes in painting, photography, sculpture and drawing with a major in printmaking. "College," says Jarvis, "allowed me to explore ideas and materials in an open and focused setting." Jarvis currently produces paintings of popular scientific themes. DNA and molecular imagery are recent subjects of his paintings. The objective with this work is to depict the manner in which natural elements are manipulated by people and utilized in a scientific manner.

"Morning Bear," says Jarvis, "is a simple representation of the crossover between the animal world and the human world." Speaking of crossovers, have you taken the East side Belfast Bearfest tour across the bridge along Route 1 north? Five new bears and five from Bearfest 2000 can be seen from the bridge out to Monroe Salt Works and back again.

"Morning Bear," after a great night's sleep, stands sheltered under a canopy at the Belfast Harbor Inn. He, no doubt, sips his coffee, gazes into the distance, and contemplates the mysterious wonders of nature.

From Bellybuttons to Batteries

by Marcia McDavid

With her bare arms wrapped almost around the mermaid's warm shiny neck, a pretty young girl gleefully exclaims, "My teacher made her!" Countless numbers of young people will proudly make that same statement throughout the summer as they head for the bay, wave to Harvey Schiller, owner of Belfast Kayak Tours, run down the pier and greet Bearielle, the Passy Merbear created by their elementary art teacher, Susan Tobey White.

"I love the world of fantasy. I have been fascinated with the stories of mermaids for years," says White while explaining her initial inspiration for making Bearielle, named after the littlest mermaid.

White works locally, four days a week, as an elementary art teacher. The spontaneity, colors and symbols used in the children's art strongly influences her own work. "In the case of Bearielle," says White, "the belly button would be an example of that influence." Anyone who has seen the work of a five to seven-year-old understands the importance of the bellybutton.

Transforming a standardized bear form into an enchanting mistress of the sea was a challenge for White.

"My husband contributed a lot to the construction of Bearielle," says White, "since it was my first experience using fiberglass resin." They chose that particular substance for its strength which was needed for the extended base that defines Bearielle as a mermaid.

"The fun was in the painting," says White. She had originally planned on using glitter and sequins but found metallic paint gave the effect she envisioned. Did you know sea glass is often referred to as "mermaid tears?" White appropriately graced Bearielle's cheeks with sun-catching tears and attired her in bait bags and fish netting, "certainly enough coverage for a merbear," says White.

White received a BS in Art Education at Southern Connecticut State College. She has attended numerous workshops in watercolor, color theory, mask making, puppetry, puppet making, doll sculpture, sculpture, print making, oil painting, clay, drawing, claymation, and collage.

"I attend artistic workshops to feed my need to create," says White.

Sold throughout the United States and Canada, White's paintings of dancing figures stir animated response at every showing. Perhaps you had a chance to react to them at last year's Arts in the Park or more recently in the art gallery at the Belfast Free Library. White also creates memorable one-of-a-kind doll sculptures.

Bearielle, the Passy Merbear is not White's first merfolk creation, "nor will it be my last," says White. Cybear: You not only can't miss this large standing bear, he won't miss you. (Photos by Marcia McDavid) "The bear was a little on the itchy side to do," says Ward Boudreau, creator of Cybear, located in front of the community internet station, k2Bh at 118 High St. in Belfast.

Looking for a location to have a web cam in Belfast, a camera in the bear's belly made perfect sense. (Actually, the camera is in one of the bear's eyes.) Cybear brings smiles to people's faces as they play in front of the camera and monitor.

"People may not realize it, but when they are in front of Cybear's camera, they are being broadcast around the world on the Internet," says Holly Anderson, a Belfast-based news reporter for the local internet/web station.

Boudreau used a jig saw to cut the back and front of the fiberglass bear form, enabling placement of a camera and monitor.

"Fibers of the fiberglass tend to irritate the skin," said Boudreau, "and after three days it really starts to get on your nerves." Rubber plumbing clamps, Plexiglas, Shoe Goo, Bondo and truck bed liner were also used by this resourceful artist. Ward Boudreau.

Cybear sports a battery pack on his back. The batteries are composed of four-inch PVC piping. Joe Ryan from Adventure Advertising in Camden made the graphics which cleverly identify the batteries as k2Bh.

Boudreau, 25, web designer from the midcoast area, came back to Maine after attending Frostburg State University in Western Maryland where he graduated with a BFA. In college, Boudreau had a concentration in sculpture and printmaking. Since graduation, he has designed and built furniture and kayaks. In making kayaks, Boudreau gained experience working with fiberglass, evidenced in his ingenious camera-at-the-ready creation.

Boudreau designs web sites for both k2Bh and their clients. The Belfast Chamber of Commerce site (www.belfastmaine.org.) is a recent addition to Boudreau's electronic portfolio.

"The best part about Cybear is his eye," says Boudreau, who hopes the interactive experience appeals to people. "If people let their family and friends know when they will be in front of the bear," say Boudreau, "they can log onto the web site, belfast.k2Bh.com, and see them smile and wave," and perhaps beckon others to Belfast and all it offers during these wonderfully warm summer days and nights.

(Photos by Marcia McDavid)

One stamp at a time

by Marcia McDavid

Were you one of the people I saw salute the proud general keeping post outside the Belfast Post Office? Was it your daughter who looked adoringly up into the bear's kind face, tugged your hand and pleaded, "Please mom, please, let me take him home?" Or were you the gentleman who called out to me across the parking area, "This bear gets my stamp of approval!" (Whoever he was, he was quick to tell me he had waited 20 minutes for someone to come along so he could, heh heh, deliver his line.)

The distinguished General Delivery, uniformed in hundreds of stamps, was created by Karna Olsson, who quickly emphasizes the group effort behind the bear. Initial inspiration came when Olsson visited her father, Nils William Olsson, in Florida. As an avid stamp collector since childhood and a member of the foreign service in Scandinavia, Mr. Olsson compiled stamps from around the world. (Photo by Holly S. Anderson)

"I always loved the graphics of the stamps," says Olsson. She asked for and was given the shoe boxes jam-packed with stamps.

Having seen the mayor's call for Bearfest artists, Olsson mentioned to her son, David, the idea of using the stamps to collage a bear and he suggested she call him General Delivery. As Olsson says, "The rest just happened."

The rest entailed breaking the bear's right arm and reconstructing it into a snappy salute. Olsson's husband, Phil Brown, who served in the military, advised to the correctness of the salute. Brown's oldest son, Paul, a former Naval officer, donated the hat, and Paul's sons Eric and Dan donated the Bangor Daily mail bag. A favorite neighbor, local accomplished artist Misko Willis, painted the General's face.

Now, bear with me, no pun intended, while I elaborate for a moment on Misko Willis. Her accomplishment as an artist precedes her. Olsson made special note of the fact that Willis was an invaluable consultant on the bear. Her suggestions truly enhanced the officer's uniform and Olsson gives Willis full credit for painting the bear's inimitable face. Olsson hopes Misko Willis will do a bear for next year's Bearfest.

Olsson grew up in the Midwest, Scandinavia and Washington, D.C. For the past 27 years she has lived in Maine; the first nine years in Aroostook County, the next 18 years in Orono and presently, and hopefully for a long time to come, Belfast.

Now that General Delivery no longer needs undivided attention, Olsson and her husband spend countless hours a day renovating the carriage house on their Primrose Hill property that offers a spectacular view of the bay.

Are you wondering how Olsson could bury all those valuable stamps under three layers of Epoxy?

"My father," says Olsson, "being the person he is, would never let a valuable stamp slip through his fingers, let alone three layers of Epoxy!"

Olsson assured me that the stamps she received from her father in the shoe boxes were not of significant value.

"He sold the valuable ones," says Olsson, "and filled shoe boxes with the lower value stamps."

Olsson's father, very much alive and well at the ripe age of 92, has seen photographs of General Delivery and is thrilled with how the stamps have been used. He is very interested in how the General is received by the public in Belfast.

There are several stamps worth searching for on the General's left arm. Let's just say they have to do with the darkest period of humankind and a particular infamous man who defined that period. There are also one cent stamps and a lot of very old stamps, dating to the 1800s. Olsson's favorites are some of the larger really colorful stamps.

"It's interesting," says Olsson, "how some of the truly wonderful stamps were muted by the glue and nondescript stamps were enhanced and became quite beautiful."

Once Olsson began applying the stamps to fashion the bear's uniform, "It became more fun," she says, "as we gave him more stars and stripes to make him an elegant decorated officer."

Olsson pondered a moment and said, "Nothing is ever created out of a vacuum. The process of creating General Delivery was truly a group effort from the gift of low value stamps from my father to the gift of the Bangor Daily news bag from my husband's grandsons, to the officer's hat from my husband's son, to the name of the bear from my son, David, to the face from Misko Willis and lots of advice from my husband and son and Misko along the way."

I asked Olsson how she felt about the inevitable auction process in October. "I wish the General well," says Olsson, "and I think he should go." Looking out toward the bay, she confidently said, "With help from many others, I created him, but now he's like a child and needs to go out into the world and try his wings."

Olsson says she knows that he will go to a good home because anyone who likes him just has to be a good person.

"I think it's exciting that he's going to travel," says Olsson, "and he's definitely stamped for travel, postage is paid!"

Bish

by Marcia McDavid

Bish, the Goddess of Fish, created by Robinsunne, glistens in the sun as well as moonlight. Bish, both bear and fish, stirs your imagination as you decide if she should be in the water or the woods. Bish, created from canvas and glitter, graces a patch of lawn close enough to the Belfast bay for a mer-bear's secret get away. (Photo by Marcia McDavid)From out of their grottoes at evening's beam the mermaids swim with locks agleam. -- Walter de la Mare"Last year there were no mer-bears in the Bearfest and this year we have three," says Robinsunne, "so clearly, there was some cosmic influence." Robinsunne (pronounced Robinsun) loves how Bish sits on her tail in a bear-like way even though that's the fish-like part of her.

"She's more sparkly than I originally intended," says Robinsunne, "and I had no idea just how magical all that gold glitter would be in the sun."

Robinsunne, a textile artist, focused on the texture of Bish. She wanted to incorporate a patchwork effect and did so by cutting out hundreds of pieces of canvas for the fish scales. Placement of the then hand painted scales gradually turned the seated bear form into a mer-creature.

"It is a human tradition," says Robinsunne, "to worship beneficent deities perceived in the likeness both of their worshiper and of their strengths or particular arenas of influence." Robinsunne pointed out that humans have Diana, goddess of the hunt, Bridgit, goddess of healing and poetry, and gods and goddesses of the forge, the loom, and indeed of mothering itself. Robinsunne imagines that the bear species function similarly. She considers Bish a goddess of the catch, goddess of abundant waters and goddess of bear fishing skills. She also sees this magical mer-creature as teacher and divine protectoress of nutrition and sustenance for her children.

"In 1997 I started having children," says Robinsunne, "and that changed my art schedule significantly." Not enough, though, to keep this multi-talented artist from creating "Mamma Bear" for Belfast Bearfest 2000. Done in a painted image of crazy-patch quilting, the red, orange, yellow, and pink pattern reflected what Robinsunne suggests as, "something of the feeling a person might have while parenting, for example."

Robinsunne knew she wanted to be an artist when she was 10 years old. "I was completely clear about this," says Robinsunne. Although she never actually went to an art school or even majored in art, she took countless numbers of art classes. "I grew up just outside New York City in the 50's and 60's," says Robinsunne, "in a town that looked and felt a bit smaller than Belfast." Lincoln Center concerts and school trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art fueled Robinsunnes's passion for art.

Presently living in Rockport, participation as an artist at Haystack in 1980 was one of the things that inspired Robinsunne to move to Maine. She also attended Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. In 1983, Robinsunne published Nannee, a picture book made from paper cuts. It's about a relationship with an imaginary Grandmother. "I didn't grow up with Grandmothers around me," said Robinsunne, "and I reached a place in my life where I wanted a connection with my matriarchy." There was none to be had so she made up an imaginary Grandmother who is an herbalist. This delightful picture book is available at Coyote Moon and Out on a Whimsey in Belfast. Robinsunne, a member of Art Fellows for years, creates quilted vessels. "It's kind of like being a potter," says Robinsunne, "but instead of working on a potter's wheel I work on an enormous industrial sewing machine." Fashioned with many layers of fabric cut to shape, quilted together, and artistically covered with beads, these stiff vessels hold things. The vessels, ranging in size from a grapefruit to a small beach ball, sparkle magically with glass and gold and silver beads. "The magpie part of me that is the love of the glittery in life is evident in my work," says Robinsunne. And definitely evident in the lovely Bish, the goddess of fish, who sits demurely, with locks agleam, waiting to light your way as you wander leisurely down to the bay.

(Photo by Marcia McDavid)