Apologies to Bob's Fans

Curly Bob called a business meeting yesterday to discuss marketing strategy up to and beyond Christmas 2013. My painting duties were laid out. I did try and explain to Bob that all artists need their rest and the occasional beverage( we are not talking about tea or coffee at this point). Bob felt such things were a distraction and should be avoided.

Given Bob's predeliction towards any form of alcohol I felt this was a bit rich. I pointed out that whilst he  had been enjoying his sojourn in Paris for the best part of a month  he had been neglecting his fans around the world , especially those on Google. One had even suggested he might have run off to the circus with me. 

This remark ruffled Bob's fur somewhat. He accepted, albeit reluctantly, that he could have done better. He now feels a marketing onslaught on Google is called for with some posts this week. I asked him how I am supposed to paint when instead I am passing on his messages to the world and it's mother. Bob considers this sort of talk negative and unproductive. He expressed great confidence in my abilities and was sure I would manage somehow. I am beginning to consider calling a couple of circuses to see if they have any vacancies....

Meanwhile here is "Crows in Winter #3" an oil on canvas to placate his Google followers:-

Vanbear7 

pp Curly Bob

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Curly Bob has been away in Paris for the last 3 weeks but has been requesting progress reports on my activities every couple of days. I am beginning to regret buying him the bear friendly I Pad for his last birthday.
I was allowed a week off to visit Paris but I didn't see anything of him there.

In the heatwave I have been finding working difficult when I have used solvents in my oil painting. I also use a lot of mediums to accelerate paint drying times to keep up with Bob's schedule.

As these are taking a toll on my chest Bob has graciously allowed me to switch to acrylics for indoor use. I was moved by this kind gesture until Bob let slip that acrylics dry faster, therefore more output!

The conversion work has been completed and painting starts on Monday. Bob will be back tomorrow and wants to inspect my work.

During his absence I have received a number of messages in French which contained both long numbers and writing. At first I thought they were telephone numbers. However on translating them I realised that they were bar bills. One of them was to mark the 1100th member of Bob's ever increasing Fan Club.

Apparently Bob has been hanging out, (i.e. partying) in Monmartre for over 3 weeks. He claims he has been seeking connections to enhance my career in the art world. To do so Bob feels entertainment is a necessary evil when promoting artists.

I tried to explain to him that entertaining prospective clients in a modest manner is one thing but drowning then in alcohol is quite another!

When I spoke to him via Skype yesterday I noticed a few flecks of oil paint around his ears which I believe are souvenirs of several visits to La Place du Tetre. There is a rumour that he had his portrait painted but more on that later.

His plane landed on Thursday and he promises to have loads of new ideas for my future paintings.

His last request from the City of Light was for me to post the following 2 works called

"Crows in Winter#2" - oil on canvas inspired by Claude Debigny"

and "Dinorwig Slate Quarry, LLanberis" - also oil on canvas from one of my own photos.

Cordialement

Vanbear7 & Curly Bob

He's Gone!

Curly Bob has at long last recovered from his severe dose of bear flu. Readers will recall that his doctor (Rodger, "The Dodgy Doctor Bear") only carries out visits at a distance to avoid catching anything off his patients. Doctor Bears are not bound by any oath which explains this bizarre behaviour and the extortionate fees he charges.
Given Bob's love of technology I suggested he consult Roger via Skype using his specially adapted IPad. I am sorry to say that Bobs technical leaning was to be his undoing. Roger quickly assessed that Bob had been in bed for far too long. His fur had become a little matted and worse still that Roger diagnosed an excess of kapok i.e. Bob was stacking the proverbial bit of timber.
Roger prescribed a severe diet with honey, ice cream and chocolate being off the menu until Christmas. He also felt Bob's fur would look better if he was to feel the benefit of a cool wash and 600 rpm spin in the washing machine. Bob was out of bed in seconds and grabbed his passport. He left without further ado for a holiday to recover. He didn't say where he was going but I suspect it was to be somewhere without any washing machines.
He did leave a note asking me to post the following 2 paintings which are 

"Cote de Provence" an oil on canvas 

and "Coverack Beach #2" which is also an oil on canvas.

More news on Curly Bob as soon as he contacts me.

Regards

Vanbear7

pp Curly Bob

Call the Doctor!

I was awoken this morning at an unearthly hour.  It was no surprise to hear Curly Bob's very faint voice. Unlike most other bears Bob keeps vey unsociable hours. Frequently he works throughout the night after sustaining himself with a couple of Mars Bars and lots of his favourite  alcohol (any in fact).

It seems he has caught a nasty dose of bear flu. In fact he has not been himself for a couple of weeks now. He has been off his honey & chocolate (always a bad sign). Also he has not instructed me to post anything for over 2 weeks, hence my silence on the blogging and social networking fronts.

I called “Rodger, The Dodgy Doctor Bear” (so called because he has never been known to make house calls or see patients in case he catches anything from them). The consultation was brief and to the point. Bob is ill (full marks) and he should stay in bed until a full recovery takes place.

Apparently I have to check Bobs fur daily for signs of clamminess or mould. If that occurs the only cure is a salt dip! I explained it would be a brave soul who attempted to rummage through Bob’s fur, clammy or not. As for taking his temperature it will be his ears or worse.

Liberal amounts of hot toddies are prescribed i.e. hot water, honey, lemon and whiskey (minus the lemon and easy on the hot water).

On a positive note Bob has asked me to post the following 2 paintings  for your consideration.

These are :

“Commission” – oil on canvas

and;

“Cornfield, Impression”

 

Bob is unaware that I have been keeping stats on his international following on all social networks. He has 959 fans at the time of going to press, We are planning a surprise party when he reaches 1000 fans. All preparations are shrouded in secrecy. No doubt the art world will recognise such talent and present him with some sort of award.

Meanwhile I’m off to the supermarket to stock up on Kleenex, peppermint oil and of course whiskey and honey.

Regards

vanbear7 pp Curly Bob

Arrested at the Airport !!

A phone call from Curly Bob trashed any hope I had of a quiet night’s painting. Apparently he had arrived back in the U.K. but was stopped at the airport by H.M. Customs who asked to look inside his numerous bags.  Bob has been enjoying his celebrity status a bit too much of late because he demanded to know if the Customs official knew who he was dealing with. The official (obviously an ill informed moron) did not.

Bob then proceeded to throw a bear sized wobbler and berate all the staff leading to his prompt arrest. He was thrown into pokey to cool off. He was grilled for several hours as to why his luggage contained 50kg of Yucatan honey which they believed was being smuggled into the country. Bob’s story that the honey was for his personal use(quite true as he never shares anything with anyone apart from colds etc.) was not believed.

He related his adventures and showed them his mangled ear. However,  as previously mentioned, the surgery had been so good that the wound was invisible. Then to Bob’s horror he was dragged to the X-Ray machine and put through it to see if he was smuggling any diamonds or precious stones. (He is now convinced all his fur will fall out and he will glow in the dark!)

The final indignity was a full strip body search. (For the sake of our younger and readers of a more delicate disposition, we shall not go into any further details). I eventually managed to secure his release in the early hours of the morning. I gave my word to guarantee  his future good  conduct and thankfully all charges have been dropped. Sadly H.M. Customs decided to confiscate his luggage pending payment of outstanding import duty.

Bob was adamant the duty must be paid and ordered me into the studio, bleary eyed,  to produce something to sell so he can reclaim his honey.   His GPB (Doctor for bears) has ordered a week of complete rest which should give me some quiet time to do some painting.

Despite the affront to his dignity Bob Bob has not lost sight of his mission in life.  As I passed his bedroom door there was a notice pinned to it directing me to publish  these 2 oils on canvas titled;-

“Castlerigg Stone Circle”

and;”Cliifs at Etretat , (after Monet) “                              

A business meeting is planned  for the start of next week, after Bob has made a full recovery.

Regards

Vanbear 7

pp Curly Bob

Outrageous Allegations

News has reached Curly Bob’s Press Office (i.e.me), with allegations Curly Bob was not bearnapped at all. These cowardly vermin claim Bob’s hostage situation in the Yucatan was staged to enhance Bob’s standing on the world stage.
Furthermore they claim that the ransom of 100kgs of honey, chocolate and ice cream was actually split between Curly Bob and Las Patas Negras (The Black Paws).
Now I’m not saying Bob is camera shy or shuns publicity. To be fair you can’t keep him away from a camera and/or microphone. However that is a far cry from staging a dangerous publicity stunt to exploit the sympathy and goodwill of bear lovers everywhere.
Curly Bob is a bear of good character who has dedicated his life to promoting my artistic career. He receives no salary or commission apart from the gift of the odd pot(s) of honey or bar(s) of chocolate from gallery owners.
This is quite a common practice in the art world to secure the exhibition of a newly discovered artist. However absolutely no money ever crosses his paws.
Bob considers the allegations to be motivated by the envy of other bears. This is not helped by his fame and more to the point his consumption of copious quantities of honey etc.
He has resolved to clear his name as soon as he is back in the U.K.
Meanwhile it is business as usual with the publishing of
“Barn, Andalucia”  and;

“Beach Scene, Portugal”
both of which are oils on canvas.
Vanbear7
pp Curly Bob

Back at Work!

Curly Bob has been discharged from hospital and has resumed his business course in Acapulco.

Thanks to the miracle of modern science Bob’s ear has now been restored and it is impossible to see the stitching. Bob gave a press conference as he was leaving hospital. Amazingly he bears(no pun intended) no bad feelings toward his captors. However he thought  their keeping his customised designer sunglasses was a bit of a liberty. A leading manufacturer of designer sunglasses kindly donated a customised pair to protect Bob’s eyes from bright sunshine and flash photography. They wish to remain anonymous which is typical of the generosity directed towards  this amazing bear.

                                                                                                

As you will see from the press photo he looks remarkably well apart from his weight increasing by a few grams.

His fur was bright and clean. Apparently he was offered  a trip to the dry cleaners plus steam cleaning or a bed bath. Personally I believe the said bed bath offered by two young and very attractive nurses decided the issue without much deliberation on Bob’s part.

He has become something of a celebrity throughout Mexico and beyond. I expect Bob will use his newly found fame to promote my activities and his management enterprise even further. To that end he has told me to publish the following works from the archive. (His Ipad is now working again so expect more posts in the future.)

The first is an abstract called “Bush Fire” which is an oil on canvas

followed by

“Cabanon Dans Les Alpilles”, an oil on canvas painted from one of Bob’s photos on his 2012 visit to Provence. It is an area Bob loves not  least for the abundant supplies of honey, ice cream, candied fruit , copious quantities of cheap wine and beer which he claims all help  the creative process for an aspiring artist.

Hopefully Bob will be back in Old Blighty by the end of next week. A business strategy meeting is planned on his return.

Vanbear7

pp Curly Bob