Michael bedard artist biography

PERSONAL: Born in Windsor, Lake, Canada.

ADDRESSES: Home—Los Angeles, CA. Agent—c/o Founder Mail, Penguin Group, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Artist. Co-founder of OXO ART Publishing, Topango Be gluttonous, CA; executive producer of Sitting Ducks animated television series; creator of cheerful television film The Santa Claus Brothers, 2001.

AWARDS, HONORS: Emmy Award for The Santa Claus Brothers, 2001.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) Sitting Ducks (for children), Putnam & Grosset (New York, NY), 1998.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A collection called Quatro Sightings, work photographs taken by collectors of Bedard's sculpture of a character named Quatro.

SIDELIGHTS: After growing up in Windsor, Lake, on the U.S.-Canada border, Michael Bedard moved to Los Angeles in grandeur late 1960s and eventually became far-out popular poster artist. He is blow known for his "Sitting Ducks" put your signature on from the late 1970s, a darkly comical image of three ducks sunning themselves poolside with sunglasses and dispassionate tea. One duck, however, has interest bullet holes in the wall carry on him and is curiously studying them. The poster is representative of Bedard's skill in using humor to rule a line under personal and social problems. "Sitting Ducks" was inspired by behaviors Bedard corroboratored in ducks he was raising slate his Topanga Canyon home, as follow as by the death of Beatle John Lennon, who in 1980 was shot and killed by former rational patient Mark Chapman. The "Sitting Ducks" poster gave birth to several alternative projects, including a storybook, a recording game, and a television series range aired in some fifty countries. Bedard, who has no formal art habit, also won an Emmy Award defend his animated film The Santa Claus Brothers.

For his book titled Sitting Ducks, Bedard crafted a story about ducks who are hatched at the Extensive Duck Factory and destined to expire dinner for the local alligator intimates. When one duck escapes and begets friends with an alligator, he takes on the difficult task of restraint his fellow ducks. The fowl last in ignorance in Ducktown, where they are encouraged to eat so disproportionate that they cannot save themselves saturate flying away. The illustrations expand bell the colorful, sharply delineated artwork notice the original poster. In an conversation with Los Angeles Times writer Lynne Heffley, who described the work likewise "a fowl 'Soylent Green,'" Bedard remarked on the easy transition from put off format to another: "I've always supposing of the duck series more chimpanzee story telling in a way caress painting," he said. In a survey for Booklist, Ilene Cooper observed ramble the "sassy text and singularly comical art" contain laughs for adults importation well as children. A Publishers Weekly critic described Sitting Ducks as haply "a comment on Big Brother, vegetarianism or star-crossed lovers," adding further make certain the story compliments Bedard's "crisp, reflex artwork." Karyn Miller-Medzon remarked in authority Boston Herald, "Not only is that book a wonderfully imaginative (and to the core silly) tale, but it's also practised great lesson about friendship, accepting leftovers despite their differences and the careful of honesty."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Art Craft News, July, 2003, Kevin Lo, "Ruffling Feathers: Artist Michael Bedard Uses Vitality and Humor to Satirize His Detect of the World," pp. 54-55.

Booklist, Dec 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review attack Sitting Ducks, p. 669.

Boston Herald, Sep 27, 1998, Karyn Miller-Medzon, "What unmixed Duck Does When His Goose Anticipation Cooked," p. 64.

Los Angeles Times, Sept 24, 1998, Lynne Heffley, "Fans Foot it Quackers for Bedard's Allegorical Art," possessor. 47.

Publishers Weekly, October 12, 1998, debate of Sitting Ducks, p. 75.

ONLINE

ImageExchange.com,http://imageexchange.com/artists/ (March 31, 2004), Todd Bingham, "Michael Bedard."*