Moon Bear - Two Paws

Medium used – liquid acrylic and gouache

Original – size 71 x 91 cm Sold

Large Print – size 71 x 91 cm with a limited print run of 250

Moon Bear – Two Paws

The writing on the golden crescent moon translates as ‘Black Bear’ in Chinese. The Chinese symbol for black looks like a cage, but an empty one, which symbolizes ‘Freedom for the Bears’.

Inspired by AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, the writing around the crescent moon says, ‘When looking at your two paws, as soon as you have decided which of them is your right one then you can be sure the other one is your left’.

The flowers and leaves are herbs. There are approximately 65 herbs and flowers that can be used as alternatives to bear bile extraction. In this painting, Joanna has selected six of the best known to us including honeysuckle, dandelion, viola, chrysanthemum, patrinia, mulberry leaf along with the Sea-ear shell. They can be used for medicinal purposes instead of the unacceptable cruelty of bile extraction for the Chinese medicine market.