Polar Where?

I am obsessed with all things Lisa Congdon.  She is a wonderfully creative artist and illustrator with killer style (and a hoarder after my own heart).  In fact, she has even turned her collections into art, which are documented in the book A Collection a Day (see hubs, I CAN turn my obsession with milk glass and vintage bowls into something).

Many of her works are often inspired by her adventures, and after a trip to Scandinavia (my favorite place to visit), she created a series of beautiful paintings featuring creatures with some interesting Scandi accessories, such as this little guy below:

After the worst Chiberian winter ever here in the Chicagoland area, I have been trying to turn all this snow and cold into something bear-able (get it, get it?), and this project was a good start.

Check out my 2nd graders' polar bears inspired by Lisa Congdon below.  We utilized realistic chalk drawing with shading, paint, and weaving on these bears.  They're totally adorable, FUR reals.

We used slate gray construction paper for the bears because polar bears' skin is actually grayish-black.  On top of their undercoat, is a thick covering of long, clear, stiff hairs.  They look like tiny clear plastic straws!  Polar bears' fur only appears to be white because it is reflecting the visible light, which in the case of the arctic surroundings, are snow and ice. I gathered this gem from my nighttime habit of watching PBS nature shows before bed. Thank you PBS!

Love this polar bear.  He is extra blubbery...

Can't get over how chubby the 2nd graders made their bears.  So sweet!

Go check out Lisa Congdon's work when you can.  Her paintings are the cure for the winter blues, FUR sure.