Muslin, beeswax, acrylic paint, polyfill
16”x15,5”x12”, 2021
Slater is part of the ’embrace failure bears,’ plush soft sculptures created from past failed Batiks’ fabric.
Slater is a collaboration between artist Alexis Mabry and me. Initially a prototype for the bear series, Slater now sports a skin painted by Alexis.
Her inspiration… care-bear gains urban grit. You can still see the words that I required to remind myself which panel went wherein the pattern for this bear. This bear is less soft than the others since it’s painted with acrylics.
It’s so easy to take yourself too seriously as an artist, lingering endlessly in concept and pre-drafting patterns, ideas, and technique combinations. Sometimes this leads to great work; sometimes, this leads to forgetting what brings you joy in making art.
My bears are a product of full self-forgiveness, created in this hard place between discovery and ultimate failure. I hope to expand this feeling of self-forgiveness and self-kindness to my viewer by changing my failing into a soft and huggable result.
