Teddy bears' picnic
This series of 36 bronzes was inspired by the theme song Teddy Bears' Picnic used by the radio show “Big John and Sparky”, a half-hour Saturday morning program which I routinely listened to as a child. Now, more than 60 years later, the impressions made by that strangest of children's songs have bubbled up into a narrative artwork. My seven-year-old self could not comprehend the contradictions in the song. The somber beginning is fairy-tale frightening: "If you go out in the woods tonight, you'd better not go alone." The music then becomes exuberant: "for every bear that ever there was...tonight's the night the Teddy Bears have their picnic." My use of the teddy bear image is not intended to be kitch or ironic, but rather a sculptural exploration of these befriended childhood daemons.
