Document text
SUNNY Temp: 88 °F Wind: SW at 6 mph Thursday, July 24, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 7, 2003 Grants Pass artist Peter Sedlow has created 24 of these larger-than-life bronze bears, two of which will be unveiled at Evergreen Bank in Rogue River today. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli BEARS OF BRONZE By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Forest Walker and Forest Guardian — twin bruins of bronze persuasion — are now embedded in granite boulders, guarding the waterfalls at Evergreen Bank. The sculptures weigh in at 750 pounds and stand 6 feet from nose to toes. The two larger-than-life bears are the creation of Grants Pass artist Peter Sedlow. The installation of this pair at 101 Pine St. was the final piece of a new signage-as-art display by Evergreen Bank. And getting the two positioned involved some tricky maneuvering with a crane. Advertisement "The sitting one looks like a big black-bear wrecking ball when it’s sitting at the end of a crane cable," said Sedlow. The bronze bear displays are the brainchild of Evergreen Bank President Brady Adams. Adams, an avid wildlife art enthusiast, commissioned Sedlow to create the bears and has stationed them at four of his banks in Southern Oregon — four bears at the main branch in Grants Pass and two each at Rogue River, Cave Junction and Brookings. Sedlow, who has been drawing since he was 5 and who has taught pastels at Rogue Community College, spent hours at Wildlife Images watching bears and sculpting a small five-inch prototype of what would ultimately become a very large art project. "We live about three miles from Wildlife Images," said Sedlow. "I’d sit and sculpt all day until I had the image right." Sedlow has done previous work for the rescue center including sculptures of longtime Wildlife Images mascots — Grizz the Grizzly and Tank the Cougar. "Tank was wonderful," said Sedlow. "He’d be purring and it would sound like a VW without a muffler." Sedlow said he got a technical assist from the center’s veterinarians and wildlife experts on black bear physiology. "They came out and told me to thin this down a bit or pad this up a bit," said Sedlow. "But they mostly said I had the image down." Wildlife Images now has two of the bronzes modeled after their bears, thanks to an additional set commissioned and donated by Evergreen Bank. "We’ve been longtime supporters of Wildlife Images and we thought it would be a great place to have the bears," said Adams. ‘This helps highlight a great program." Adams also commissioned 21 local artists to create fancifully painted Fiberglas mockups of Sedlow’s bears. The wild and crazy bears are currently staked out on the streets of Grants Pass awaiting their auction day in September, when all proceeds will benefit local charities. There are six bronzes left in the limited edition of 24 bears — 12 in each position (sitting or standing). The price for each bear is $17,500, Sedlow said. There are also 50 bronze one-third-size images, called maquettes, which are done in the same detail as the larger bronzes. They are going for $3,000 to $3,200, said Sedlow. The bears will be unveiled in a public gathering today in Rogue River. Sedlow said he’s not particularly worried about anyone stealing his creations, but he does have some advice for anyone witnessing a theft of the weighty bronzes. "If you see someone walking along the street with one of these bad boys under his arm, let them go," said Sedlow. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times