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Lorek Byrnison, Toy #23


"Lorek Byrnison," Toy #23, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a Schleich polar bear figurine I've dubbed Lorek, after the polar bear-ish character in The Golden Compass (book). This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as asking.
My Fantasy World

I absolutely adore reading, almost as much as I love painting. As a result, my head is full of lively characters, all personalities I bonded with during some marvelous adventure. And it may sound strange, but I consider them friends and confidantes, and do carry on conversations with them in my head. It's quite a party in there on any given day. I guess a true reader will understand.

So Lorek Byrnison is just such a character. He hails from Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. He honors promises and values true friendship. He embraces who he is and loves purely. And, to me, he became an emblem of almost religious proportions: moral, honest, dedicated to his cause, with a heart that expanded to love all. I ended up adapting Lorek as my own totem for facing difficult times with character and dignity. (Again, I know this sounds cray-cray to those who don't read, but I never claimed to have a dull imagination).

When I saw this Schleich figurine, it was exactly how I pictured Lorek (I hadn't yet seen the movie adaptation at that point, and frankly, the movie really did not hold a candle to the book), and I bought it for my desk. He's sat here with me for several years, offering his quiet grace (and there was one instance when, on an especially dark day, a polar bear showed up in the oddest of places, and I felt like it was Lorek, teleported to where I needed a reminder that I could do this). 

I've drawn him into my journals many times. But today he told me I needed to paint him on a green ground, sort of the opposite of environments where polar bears usually are found, but as a message of perseverance. I decided I'd better listen.
 
I'm really happy that I did.

Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,
All my best, Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

The 100 Toys Album
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