Ruffling feathers: artist Michael Bedard uses animation and humor to satirize his perception of the world - Artist profile: Michael Bedard

Michael Bedard finds humor to be divine. notwithstanding beneath the initial jocularity of his animation art typically lies a social or political statement, a satire upon his life experiences and observations.

Since his introduction into the art marketplace in 1977 Bedard has repeatedly appeared at the top of the list of best-selling bill artists. "Sitting Ducks," by far his greatest in quantity popular piece, was an unanticipated succes that alerted numerous subsequent poultry pieces.

by what means he, his ducks and other creatures got into precarious situations is a seemingly aimless journey. It started in his hometown of Windsor, Ontario, which he said was in the way that devoid of art he was compell to draw anytime and anywhere. individual year, his grandmother gave him a station of marionettes, which he used to set on shows in the backyard charging kids a clap bottle for admission. A woman who saw him drawing marionettes at the library presented to take him to the Denver Institute of Art. There he saw a Diego Rivera mural that became a seminal influence in his career as an artist.

In the early 1970 Bedard decided against art gymnasium and moved to Los Angeles instead, unsure of what he wanted to do on the contrary knowing he wanted it to involve art. He took upon jobs where he could exercise his talents and learn, of that kind as window painting at McDonald's, apprenticing at a stained-glass window store and even designing t-shirts. "None of the piece of works I had seemed to last true long; that's probably why I had to become an artist in my have a title to right," he said. "By the 1980 I decided to do whatever I could to further my be in possession of concepts, ideas and paintings."

More importantly, Bedard used the time to discover his have signature. "I felt that I could communicate [i]or[/i] part of to the other my art by using humor as a draw into the painting. I have always wanted it to be just that: upon the surface it appeared diverting but it dealt with life issues, which all humor is really based on Someone once said that if someone acquires kicked in the balls it's humorous but if you get kicked in the balls it's tragedy," he said.

In the mid '80 Bedard mov to Topanga Canyon, a rural area outside of beholds Angeles, the birthplace of his now famous plunges Having moved away from the city, Bedard felt he should have more [i]or[/i] less animals to share the experience, in the way that he raised a gaggle of souses One day, his neighbor brought residence a mastiff that subsequently pillaged an entire chicken imprison Concerned, Bedard took greater care to fastening up his ducks. One day, single got loose while Bedard was in his studio. As the souse was walking past his window and up the driveway, the mastiff appeared snarling and skulking toward the dip Just as Bedard thought he would at no time get out in time to save the dip the duck puffed up its chest and aggressively walked toward the dog quacking. The dog backed away looking true confused.

"I reflection that was such an choice triumph over vulnerability, where this dip by bluff and attitude alone, saved himself from certain death. I thinking in a way it's like life in general, despite our faculty of perception of being in control of this reality, by the agency of and large we get by means of with bluff and attitude," Bedard explained. "The immerse seemed to be a type As far as using the plunge for more serious issues of that kind as social and political singles I thought it was actually completed because everyone seems to identify with these souses It's a combination of being vulnerable and having an attitude of survival."

Bedard's ideas can be triggered by the agency of a number of things, including life experiences, world occurrences or newspaper clippings. "Sitting Ducks" was actually inspired through the assassination of John Lennon as a commentary upon the violence of society and in what way vulnerable we can be, making us all, in a way, sitting ducks

"Once I've got an idea that excites me all of my might goes into that. I want to lay open it. I want to diocese where this thing is going. I think it's kind of the thrill of the pursue You want to see what's down this funnel Sometimes it's rewarding, sometimes it's disappointing, on the other hand you feel obligated to chase it anyway," he said.

Bedard said that with his characters, "I would bring them in situations where they were upon the cusp of something happening, upon the precipice of events. family depending on their view of life, could either view it as 'this dip is history' or 'I can enumerate by his attitude he's going to survive,'" he said. "I would create an opportunity to finish up the moveed animation or series of occurrences that took place. I always felt that my paintings were single frame in a series."

Bedard published a children's work entitled Sitting Ducks which was made into an animated television series now shown in 50 countries. single of his newest characters. Quatro, a mythical creature, will before long be sold as a plastic art Together with OXO ART Publishing of Topanga, Calif., a company Bedard co-found with Ryan Moo to publish and distribute his work, he plans to barter the sculpture and ask collectors to find a place they think is humorous, special, ridiculous or beautiful and photograph Quatro there. The photographs will be published as a volume called Quatro Sightings, a throw Bedard hopes will get tribe involved in the fun of his art.