Meet Mavis, the new addition to the United Buddy Bear project of Berlin painted in March.

Top: Lynn Parotti with Mr Piepenbrock, Honory council to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

“Mavis”, the female Bahamian bear encompasses the spirit of the people of the Bahamas; warm, friendly and exciting, just as Columbus described the indigenous peoples, the Arawak Indians whom he met when he first discovered the New World in 1492 on San Salvador, Bahamas. He called this island “Guanahani”, Land of Honey.

I have used select elements of my oil paintings from the past 10 years to create a personality for the bear, which is full of life, diversity and generosity. Mavis is boastful of the beautiful flora and fauna of the Bahamas; and she is inviting. Her roundness has been deliberately emphasised by the painting style, signifying her largeness of heart and the lushness of the landscape. The Bahamas are an archipelago of 700 islands suspended in the most turquoise of seas where land literally glides into ocean. A seahorse, hummingbird, flamingo and angelfish salute the wonders of our natural habitat as the stingrays gracefully swim by. Hibiscus, Poinciana and Bougainvillaea frame the boundary of this vista, where sunset melts into sea.

I have had the fortune of growing up in the Bahamas, frequenting the Exuma Cays for long camping excursions. An uninhabited island equipped with wild birdlife and sea creatures provided the stage for a host of childhood discoveries, which continue to inform my work.

click the links below to find out more about the United Buddy Bears:

www.united-buddy-bears.com

www.buddy-bear.com/en/events/index.html

www.buddy-bear.com/en/products/index.html