BILL'S BEARS

TREAD OF PIONEERS MUSEUM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FRIENDS OF THE YAMPA, PRESENTS

Into the Light Marion Kahn 60” X 48” Oil on Canvas

marionkahnfineart.com Zandee Gallery, Steamboat Springs

Tread of Pioneers Museum presents

76

Winter 2023 TREAD OF PIONEERS MUSEUM | 800 OAK ST. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS | 970.879.2214 | TREADOFPIONEERS.ORG

by Elizabeth King

Bill's Bears

One of Bill’s recent creations, a cinnamon-colored bear. Photo courtesy of Bill Sanders

Each of Bill Sanders’own with a sense of movebears has a personality of its

ment imparted by grooves in the figure. Those signature grooves are quite possibly the most personal touch—the marks left by Bill’s fingers during the throwing process. His process is unique and truly his own, neither additive or subtractive, as is typical of clay artistry. Bill creates his sculptures from wheel-thrown components that are then altered by hand and brought together to assemble into the final form. The final step is mixing the perfect glaze. He frequently chooses a matte glaze for the bears in a blue or iron hue.

Bill began his journey with ceramics in high school in 1963 in the Northern Philippines. Halfway through high school, Bill moved to Colorado and finished his high school career in Colorado Springs. He eventually made his way to Honolulu and studied at The Honolulu Academy of Arts under Chinese ceramic artist May Chee. In the late 90’s Bill and his wife, Barb, moved back to Colorado and made their home in Steamboat Springs.

Art with Altitude

Much of Bill’s work is influenced by his childhood and early career in the Pacific as well as his studies with the Chinese ceramic artist, May Chee, and Yukio Ozaki at the Hawaii Potters Guild. His designs explore ancient patterns and boxes that blend inspiration from Steamboat Springs’ hay bales and a Japanese glaze called “shino.” The end result is a work of art that blends east and west together. Bill finds as much inspiration in the Colorado wilderness as he does in ancient worlds. There is a western flavor to his bears, horses, foxes and birds, yet the glazes and techniques used to make them create something unique, something that could sit in a home anywhere in the world and feel connected to that landscape.

Bill has recently moved to Fort Collins, but his famous bears can still be found at Wildhorse Gallery in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

ELEVATE THE ARTS: Visit Wildhorse Gallery to see Bill’s bears in person and experience the spirit of the West in animal form. EK Winter 2023

77