‘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, this piece for sure is designed to draw you in and explore especially translated on to a 3D form.
 
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 was then scanned and printed on to the fabric, cut, sewn and stuffed here in London.
 
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 for equality for all.
 
I would create  pieces of artwork on the side for charities in London before I decided to leave my job and focus on my passion full time. As the saying goes….”It's an artists life” always up and down but I suppose that adds to the thrill, the pressure and the creativity.
 
There have been major up’s and downs, new skills learnt as well as lessons, deaths, surgeries, celebrations, embarrassments, do I buy tea or coffee this week and everything else in-between. I’m still here doing what I adore and I will publish a piece in greater detail on my journey later this year, but for now I want to celebrate with this friendly icon.
 
‘Bear my Soul’ 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’ 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
Dimensions  36cm x 12cm x 48cm
Hand printed, cut and sewn teddy.
made in London, England.
British artist Thomas Wolski
 
 
Please allow up to 14 working days for this to arrive as these treasures are made to order in the UK.