The Bears of Sheffield sculpture has been designed and inspired by David Mayne. David Mayne is a sculptor of national repute who produces work for galleries and public spaces including the bear in the Bear Pit at Botanic Gardens. His artwork has been commissioned through-out the country and all of David’s work is proudly made in Yorkshire.
“I studied sculpture in Sheffield and lived in the city for many years afterwards so the commission for the Bear in the Botanical Gardens was something that I really wanted.
“It was really important for me at the time of making the original that I did all the fabrication myself so I was in complete control of the finished sculpture. It’s fabricated in such a way that many people think it modelled in a different material and then cast into metal, but its just a mix of steel plate and rod and hundreds of hours of welding and cutting and polishing.
“At first I welded up a steel “skeleton” and then started to clad this with thick steel plate so after a while it looked like a strange suit of armour. That was the easy part. The hard bit was making it look like a bear. Every piece of rod that created the texture was hand cut, bent into shape and then welded in the right place. At the end of all the welding work it took at least two weeks to polish the surface so I could be sure there were no sharp edges.
“When the piece was delivered to the bear pit it almost looked like stainless steel – although it was always intended to oxidize (rust) over the months and years changing colour and texture as it did so. I never realized just how iconic and how well loved this sculpture would become. I have worked on numerous public art commissions through-out the country but this piece has always been my personal favourite and probably will remain so for the rest of my career.
“It was a real surprise when David Vernon-Edwards from The Children’s Hospital Charity asked if the original design could be used and whether I would be happy to be involved in the project to create pieces that could become part of the new Bears of Sheffield trail. I have found it fascinating visiting the company involved in recreating a smoother bear that can be painted while most importantly retaining an essence of the original.”
Visit www.david-mayne.co.uk to find out more from the Bears of Sheffield sculpture.
David Mayne original sculpture has been donated to the project and will be auctioned off during the trail.
The Bears of Sheffield will help fund a new Cancer and Leukaemia Ward at Sheffield Children’s through donations, merchandise, sponsorship challenges and fundraising throughout the trail. At the end the Bears will also be auctioned off to the highest bidder to raise money!