‘Proud Beary’ 10 year anniversary Pride Edition
 
'Proud Beary' is the 2023 pride edition of ‘Bear my Soul’, a collection of teddy bears created to mark the official decade of Thomas Wolski as “The Artist”.
 
For Pride month this year I decided to use my reimagining of the iconic pride/progress flag, a very recognisable silhouette with a hypnotic filling and translate on to a 3D fabric form to be photographed for print. This is a signed giclée print of this artwork finished in a holographic glitter spray.
 
I know that people think I hate colour as I always work in black and white, but this is not true!
 
This piece was an absolute joy yet very challenging on the eyes due to staring at certain colours intensely for very long periods of time. An extremely satisfying process to scale the piece and then cross off the colours one by one, a very happy picture indeed. This image means a lot to many different people across the world, mainly that you are here. Everyone wants to be seen and these colours scream look at me! Pride month isn’t just about dancing around in colour, but about remembering and pushing forward with equality for all.
 
‘Proud Beary’ is a metaphor for my work and a huge part of where it all started. As a child I absolutely loved studying the intro pages of kids books, the inside front and back map pages where the characters lived. Landscapes of where the story took place were beautifully captivating and intricate, books like ‘Rupert the Bear’, ‘Brambly Hedge’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’ were favourites of mine. I was fascinated by the tiny towns and beautiful detail, sometimes making up my own story based on the images.
 
The Teddy Bear is a globally recognisable symbol that says, I care, I’m vulnerable, give me a cuddle, I’m comforted, warm and innocent, something nostalgic and whimsical. In many cases people treasure and hold on to these for life so I thought it the perfect shape to use. I’m a huge kid and a lot of my work relates back to subtle childhood memories as well as the pieces I pick up along my journey.
 
Product details:
Giclée print on 308 photo rag, 100% cotton paper (unframed)
Hand finished with holographic glitter spray
Hand signed/ numbered
40cm x 50cm
 
if you're not a frame connoisseur it fits perfectly in to the IKEA Ribba frame 50 x 70cm (roughly £20)