Dancing with Sea Lions
The Dancing With Sea Lions project began as a fundraiser for the 20th Anniversary of the Florence Events Center. The volunteers of the Florence Arts, Culture, and Entertainment nonprofit group (previously known as the Friends of the FEC) headed up this project in conjunction with the Florence Events Center Staff. Twenty life size sea lion sculptures were each painted by a different artist. All of them were displayed with their sponsors along the Oregon Coast till October of 2016, when they were then purchased by businesses and individuals. Fifteen of them are still publicly displayed in Florence and near by coastal locations. See our 'Where are they now' map for their current locations, and check our blog for updates. Share your Dancing Sea Lion pics with us and we'll add them to our Gallery of images.
Ruth M. Bass
Project Name: Portia T. Doodle
Saturated colors invigorates artist Ruth Bass, who was drawn to the Dancing With Sea Lions project by the sleek graceful design.
Bass says color expresses what she feels. Her normal mediums vary with her mood from fabrics, silk painting, to watercolors and sometimes photography. This is Bass’ first dance with a fiberglass sea lion, expect it to be fully immersed in saturated color.
Bass’ designs for this project came from within, from what she knows and feel comfortable doing. Bass doodles, whether its doodles with a long-arm quilting machine, or the doodles she leaves on every scrap of paper or envelope it is all this doodling that is her inspiration for dor Portia T. Doodle. But painting on a three dimensional fiberglass sea lion is very different from applying watercolors on paper. Bass said the more she painted the more playful her design became. What began as an intimidating experience, became a delightful way to create.
Portia T. Doodle is the truth to the artistic belief that Bass’ art and creativity feeds her soul.
Portia T. Doodle was painted using Professional Grade with the highest UV rating available: Liquitex gesso, Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylics, M. Graham Acrylics, Atelier Acrylics, Golden Medium for Acrylics.