I have spent the last seven days with four sets of bear paws and since most of the posts on this blog have to do with the creatures we find while exploring the creek area that runs behind our balcony, I will need to clarify.
A most wonderful discovery was found indeed; but it wasn't in the garden. Instead it was at the corner of Sylvan and Auburn (Sylvan's Corner) in Citrus Heights, CA. A small little store front called "The Summit" which sales Bearpaw boots. While waiting on a couple of friends who were to meet me at Starbucks during my lunch break, I decided to drive across the street and check out the shop. I was really looking for a pair of boots that I could illustrate for Tatum (Michael's 5 year old grand daughter). While in the store, I struck up a conversation with the onsite manager and shared my "Theology Art" business card which includes a picture of the "Coat of Many Colors" - a suede jacket that I hand illustrated a couple years ago. She promptly suggested that I contact "Randy" regarding the possibility of doing some boots for Bearpaw.
That day, I emailed a link to my work to Randy (who I later found out is the VP of Global Marketing) and asked if he would be interested in seeing what I might do with a few pair of Bearpaws. A week ago, I picked up 4 pairs (two Adult sizes and two children's sizes). I had the week off, and so I went to work on the boots. I really had not concept as to how long this might take and exactly what I would come up with.
After approximately 60 hours of (frankly) back and neck wrenching, eye straining, design work, and getting nothing else done on my vacation, I finally finished the four boots. And this is why art is expensive. It takes time and creative energy. Even after turning in for the night, I would lay in bed visualizing hundreds of designs. I have no idea where this is all going - but I do enjoy the process of creating original designs. I would not want to mass produce the same design, over and over. Perhaps the boots are like a canvas and each one will be an original, one of a kind. Anyway, enough whining-- here's the boots:
A most wonderful discovery was found indeed; but it wasn't in the garden. Instead it was at the corner of Sylvan and Auburn (Sylvan's Corner) in Citrus Heights, CA. A small little store front called "The Summit" which sales Bearpaw boots. While waiting on a couple of friends who were to meet me at Starbucks during my lunch break, I decided to drive across the street and check out the shop. I was really looking for a pair of boots that I could illustrate for Tatum (Michael's 5 year old grand daughter). While in the store, I struck up a conversation with the onsite manager and shared my "Theology Art" business card which includes a picture of the "Coat of Many Colors" - a suede jacket that I hand illustrated a couple years ago. She promptly suggested that I contact "Randy" regarding the possibility of doing some boots for Bearpaw.
That day, I emailed a link to my work to Randy (who I later found out is the VP of Global Marketing) and asked if he would be interested in seeing what I might do with a few pair of Bearpaws. A week ago, I picked up 4 pairs (two Adult sizes and two children's sizes). I had the week off, and so I went to work on the boots. I really had not concept as to how long this might take and exactly what I would come up with.
After approximately 60 hours of (frankly) back and neck wrenching, eye straining, design work, and getting nothing else done on my vacation, I finally finished the four boots. And this is why art is expensive. It takes time and creative energy. Even after turning in for the night, I would lay in bed visualizing hundreds of designs. I have no idea where this is all going - but I do enjoy the process of creating original designs. I would not want to mass produce the same design, over and over. Perhaps the boots are like a canvas and each one will be an original, one of a kind. Anyway, enough whining-- here's the boots:
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