Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s real.
Meanwhile, back at the real SNZ, Bikkie seems to be taking the throngs of real life visitors in stride, or at least in cubby trot! So just remember, when real life gets too surreal, there is always the panda cam!
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda
Who would have guessed my creative journey would have taken me into the realm of needle felted pandas, or even Panda Satire? Certainly not me! When I was in art school, back in the days when you could get a college education for less than the price of a house, if you were a painting student, you PAINTED! Nothing else was acceptable! You did not “waste” your talents on such frivolous pursuits as Panda Satire, for crying out loud!
For some number of years, I held to those principles. Eventually the realities of a more regular cash flow lead me down the path of printmaking (etching to start). Eventually I embraced other forms of printmaking, such as lithography, monoprint, and monotype. One of the universal truths I discovered was that all forms of making art have something to offer, and each technique you add to your tool box, circles back around and makes the other forms you practice stronger.
Working on black and white etchings made my paintings much stronger, with greater attention to composition and light an dark values.
The recession of 2008 hit me hard, and I needed something to cheer me up. Pandas were the answer. I don’t know what the question is. What I do know, is that one thing leads to another: panda satire lead to starting to write children’s book (another pursuit which has a long way to reach its conclusion) and it also led to making needle felted pandas.
Some of the stories are mine, but the felty panda troop inspires stories in the people who welcome them into their homes. I am honored to be entrusted with some of these stories, and rather than my usual dive into the archives today, I am going to share some of the photos sent to me by a lover of the felty bears. They have added their own touch to the settings, and as one who has always loved dollhouse miniatures, the exquisite details they have added to the scenes thrill me no end!
Be The Bear
Bob T Panda
By popular request….
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
I WAS kind of hoping that once President Biden took office and started, you know, doing helpful presidential things, that the crazy insurrectionists would calm down, but no.
But we CAN have some panda ‘toons! Here are some now! Just the thing for Mother’s Day! (I’m pretty sure this is what your mom wanted!)
Panda Birthday season is approaching! Order your cake now! (Don’t flunk cake!)
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
Hm…this dream is not getting any better!
This dream is NOT going the way Pinky wanted it to!
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
It feels like spring today (despite the fact that I just woke up from a nap!) and now as the days get longer, I can still go outside!
So here is a little random collection, of ‘toons through the years that I have done in the spring. Do I have a theme? Um…not really! I’m just going to rummage through the ‘toons and see what amuses me today. I hope it amuses you too!
It must almost be time to select the Torch Bears for the next Olympic Games!!!
My recent operating system upgrade and new printer brought along another round of technical difficulties!
It’s always a good day to dump on Barker Carlson!
Are your taxes done?
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda!
Or…is it a nightmare? I guess we’ll just have to see!
Tune in again next week for more installments of…
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
So, back in the real world, Princess Pinky Bao Bao lives in China, and she has had a cub. We don’t know exactly why her cub is being raised by a foster mother, but she seems very well cared for and lives a happy cubby life. But in the world of The Panda Chronicles, all the pandas live at home with their parents…
And Ping…
And Frank and Mikey…
But that’s all to the good, for all the story possibilities that go along with a large cast of characters! (And that doesn’t include when Lun Lun sends all the girls up to visit their aunt and cousins!)
But the idea of Pinky having a cubby was too good to ignore, and so, we are having another one of those dream sequence thingies, which hopefully everyone will wake up from! As Mommee Mei says….
Where is this story headed? Well, to be honest, I really don’t know! I think you can be sure there will be some payback for Princess Pinky!
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
Thank you to my talented web guru, I once again have the Classic Editor to set upon my posts. He put in a different plugin to allow me to have my luddite tendencies a bit longer. It does seem to be doing this strange thing once again. where I lose the connection temporarily, but it does seem to allow me to keep typing.
I don’t know. It’s all a mystery to me.
Will Mei ever learn that it doesn’t pay to ask Pinky anything?
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
Oops. The Ides of March (whatever the heck they are) were yesterday. I’m more concerned with the Ides of April (aka tax day)! Maybe we should be more worried about the Ides of Pinky!
But fast on the heels of the Ides, comes National Panda Day! No, I am not making this up. (Some people would say that EVERY day is panda day, and you know? They might be right!)
Pinky has another great idea!
Be the bear!
Bob T Panda