Live Auction Bears for Prince George

Artist: Jeanette Orydzuk
Patron: TELUS Communications Company
Provenance: "Meadow Bear" holds the spirit of summer. When many town dwellers engage in summer activities they head out on the highway first. Because of the prevalence of bears in the north, someone always says "maybe we'll see a bear, watch out for a bear". Along the highways of northern B.C. and in any small clearing really, we are blessed with a bounty of wildflowers in the spring and the summer. For most part that's where town dwellers see the bears, in the flowers along the sides of the road.
Sold for: $2000

Artist: Tatiana Wimmer
Patron: SpeeDee Your Office Experts
Provenance: Sharp patches of earthy tones represent the British Columbia mountains, forests and fields. Cool bubbles signify the Pacific Ocean on our Western coast. In a completely different color scheme, the brilliant Northern Lights separate Land and Sea in a swirling ribbon. "Aurora Bearealis over Land and Sea" symbolizes the natural splendor of this single province.
Sold for: $5000

Artist: Peter George
Patron: City of Prince George
Provenance: "Spirit of the Ancestors" presents traditional First Nations design with a contemporary edge. Instead of using colors that customarily appear in First Nations artwork, such as reds, blues and black, this artist has cleverly used understated hues to represent the life-force of the Bear.
Sold for: $6500

Artist: Gordon Rapson
Patron: City of Prince George
Provenance: At first glance, this Bear looks like a realistic depiction of a bear that you could stumble upon in the forest. As you lean in closer to get a better look, you realize that it actually has been covered in beautiful wood pieces. The detail that has been put into this Bear is so intricate that your senses awaken with the smells of the forest. This Bear is recommended for indoor display.
Sold for: $7000

Artist: Laura Chandler
Patron: The Coast Inn of the North
Provenance: "Artists Speak" portrays silhouettes of bears roaming freely amongst the lush green trees and rolling hills while above them the sky takes the form of a First Nations figure surrounded by gorgeous shades of blue and purple.
Sold for: $3500

Artist: Annerose Georgeson
Patron: Treasure Cove Casino
Provenance: At first glance, this Bear depicts an explosion of vibrant color. But soon the viewer notices that there are animals hidden amongst the hues. Can you find them all?
Sold for: $10000

Artist: Dianne Clowes
Patron: Canfor
Provenance: With his feet in rushing river waters, "Moon Bear" rises through vast moonlit tracts of forested valleys, hills and mountains to the sky. He reflects earth and sky so that he can remain as invisible as possible and be safe from human intrusion into his secluded environment.
Sold for: $7000

Artist: Phil Morrison
Patron: Two Rivers Gallery
Provenance: The artist's idea was to create a glowing, ethereal Bear that radiates poetry from its centre. Inspired by the Spirit Bear legend he developed a text around a central haiku, "raven's voice echoes, the shifting iceflows crumble, glacial retreat". He wanted to keep it white, filling it with light and have the words become windows into the interior.
Sold for: $3500

Artist: Kim Knutsson
Patron: Northern British Columbia Tourism Association
Provenance: With its bold, bright colors and comical fish, the "Munificent North" is popular with the young and old alike.
Sold for: $3500

Artist: Joe Ferrante
Patron: Prince George Citizen
Provenance: The "Northern Spirit" captures the essence of the Rocky Mountains. Done in cool, crisp colors, this Bear presents animals in a mountainous landscape much like how they would appear in nature.
Sold for: $7000

Artist: Maureen Faulkner
Patron: Brink Forest Products
Provenance: "Ursa Major", the greater bear of the Big Dipper is a visual response to its dynamic patron, John Brink. John's Dutch heritage determined the use of blue and white. While the stars in the dipper, or neck, remind us of the amazing work done by Vincent Van Gogh, in "Starry Night". Blueberries on the back and rosehips on the hips are an earthy reminder of the connection of Bear to land. The Bear winks with delight and wonders if we get the puns.
Sold for: $4500

Artist: Kenneth A. Ferris
Patron: Scotiabank
Provenance: The face and head of "Harmony in Nature" is so elaborately detailed that one would almost expect the wind to ruffle its fur. The curious, yet cautious, meeting between a black bear and a Kermode Bear is featured on the front of the Bear.
Sold for: $8000

Artist: Marc LaCaille
Patron: Jim Pattison Broadcast Group
Provenance: "Harlequin" is the North – the duality of the land and the people. It represents the long, cold, crisp winter night where the full moon and the Northern Lights tint the snow blue and purple. Soon the bright warm summer will come with never ending daylight. "Harlequin" represents the seasonal changes and the resilience of the people who live in the North.
Sold for: $5500

Artist: Maureen Faulkner
Patron: Prince George Doctors
Provenance: This Bear is another look at the great spirals in life. It portrays contrasts: the yin and yang; darkness and light; from the earliest of time recorded on cave walls at Lascaux to the Pentium chip which crowns the Bear. It represents the inner strengths nurtured in hibernation and the renewal stages of winter as well as the patterns, changes and dynamics of seeds, flowers, growth, harvest and the consumption of apples which in turn nurture and keep us healthy and the doctors at bay.
Sold for: $3500

Artist: Kathryn and Angela Wilkins
Patron: PG Central, Foothills and Spruce City Lions Clubs
Provenance: "Protective Spirit" represents the children of Canada and our multicultural mosaic. The Kermode Spirit Bear can give birth to white, black or brown cubs. As a mother she is a fierce protector of her children. "Protective Spirit" also represents the feeling that children are precious and should be protected with the same ferocity with which a mother bear protects her cubs. Angela and Kathryn painted the children across a background of the North Star and the Northern Lights.
Sold for: $2500

Artist: Sonny Assu
Patron: BC Hydro
Provenance: At first, it seems to be an animal version of the well-liked superhero, Spiderman. But after taking a closer look, one notices the skillful incorporation of traditional First Nations motifs which adds a sense of Native history to this extraordinary Bear.
Sold for: $4500

Artist: Dianne Clowes
Patron: District of 100 Mile House, South Cariboo Lions Clubs and 100 Mile Free Press
Provenance: "Kamali" is the Spirit Protector of 100 Mile House. His head reflects the sky and his body reflects the four seasons along with landmarks, industries and activities of this area. Despite hard times and struggles, the enduring spirit of our pioneers live on and "Kamali" protects that precious spirit.
Sold for: $7500