05/06/2026
Night Bear 1 & 2 by Paula Schuette Kraemer are whimsical, yet grounded. They are great on their own and even better as a pair in a peaceful bedroom or communal space! Keep reading for some thoughts from Paula about these celestial bears.
"Originally I just wanted to do something about bears and a print with some size to it. I started out with both bears on a 36 x 48" piece of copper and after a week or so, decided that the plate was too unwieldy; and, I wasn't coming up with much of a theme either so I cut the plate in half. The original drawings for the print were done on Mylar in white Oil Stick. The Mylar was taped over a blue black piece of paper so that I could see the drawings and they reminded me of the vastness of the Colorado sky on a clear night. I often go out at night to look up and clear my head of life's details and worries. It's an opportunity to calm my mind. The majesty of nature puts our problems into perspective. It's a reset.
The dark Paynes Grey/Blue monoprint background is full of Cobalt line drawings of objects. There is a hand throwing dice (life's a crap shoot), a hammer with pounded nails (getting stuff done), a sled (nostalgia for the past), a teacup (conversations with friends), a weigh scale ( judgement), a bird (nature), etc. Many of the images are symbols which I have used in works throughout my artistic career (the pretzel, the apple, the running dog, the hopscotch game, acorn and little trees).
The big white bears represent the majesty and grandeur of nature. They are apparitions in the sky above and they have their respective identifying constellations, Ursa Minor ("Night Bear I") and Ursa Major ("Night Bear II") drawn in with oil pastel in a very pale yellow. They are in that order (Minor on the left and Major on the right) merely because of the bears' poses which turn in towards each other."
Paula Schuette Kraemer
Night Bear 1 & 2 (5/15), 2026
Monotype, intaglio and oil pastel
35.5 x 23.5 in
$2,000 each
https://olsonlarsen.com/artist/paula-schuette-kraemer
