The Story of "Black Bear Bliss"
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I'm not really sure how this project jumped into my mind. I had been thinking about a small piece on another topic, but suddenly this one seemed to germinate overnight. Perhaps I had been watching too many BBC David Attenborough nature specials. It's possible, but I can't say when the image of a bear scratching itself on a tree came to mind. Once I went to the internet to look for inspirational images, things fell into focus quickly. There are some great videos of bears enjoying themselves scratching on tree trunks, most very playful looking! I have scratched my back on a door frame but I have never looked as satisfied as many of them did. I figured I needed a little more so I added a resident squirrel into the mix. He sits atop his home rattling in sequence to the bear's movements nervously wondering if there will ever be an end to this chaos. If the trunk falls over his entire inventory of nuts stored for the winter will be pillaged by others. Meanwhile, a withered old branch still attached to the trunk, tenuously wiggles in synchronicity with the bear's movement. I can't help but love the bear, he looks so blissful, temporarily ignoring the world about him. Wouldn't we all want to feel that way so intensely more often. Oh, to be a Black Bear in Bliss! |
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Automata "Black Bear Bliss" Video
"Black Bear Bliss" Slide Show
Here is a collection of photos taken along the journey of making this little piece.