Bear In Snow By Esther Baran

Size: 21Lx17W

About the artist:

My interest in art stemmed from early childhood readings. Books are one of my primary sources for images, from early fairy stories to folk tales from a variety of cultures. While Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen were my original bed-time stories, I later discovered the tales of collectors like Afanasyev and Norwegians Jorgen Moe and Peter Asbjornsen. Many other stories have been passed down and changed from culture to culture. My favorite is the Icelandic story of a young girl whose adventures are much like those of Cinderella, but in this version she rejects the prince as being too superficial, having only noticed her in her finery and gold slippers.

In most of the cultures I have explored, animals play central roles in the stories. Some cultures have animals representing deities, and in some they are comical characters whose behavior mimics humans. Some of the Native American tales use ravens, coyotes, or turtles to explain the origins of the world. Some African cultures have the spider, Ananzi, outwitting Tortoise, or the reverse. The possibilities for imagery are endless.

Researching each country's history and unique characteristics is part of my enjoyment in doing the piece. I like to incorporate the fabric patterns and ornamentation from each ethnic group in borders around the images. I have used the same techniques in illustrating children's books.

I focused on color etchings for 40 years, but added watercolors and oils as a more direct form of expression. In all media, in addition to folktales, I do landscapes and still lifes of fruits and vegetables