Spotted this statue during our tour of Juneau while on a cruise ship.
The plaque reads as follows:
Summer is the bountiful time of easy living for bears in Alaska and they have arranged their lives accordingly -
Stuffing themselves on salmon, greens and berries
while the season affords, and then retiring to
sleep away the winter in fat comfort.
WINDFALL FISHERMAN
This bronze sculpture of an Alaska brown bear by R.T. Wallen of Juneau was commisioned by the Silver Anniversary Committee of the City and borough of Juneau in celebration of the first quarter century of Alaska Statehood.
1959 - 1984.
Information about the artist:
From the following website:
(
visit link)
R.T. "Skip" Wallen is an artist with an international clientele. Born in Wisconsin, he began spending summers in Alaska Territory in 1958 commercial fishing with his uncle. He moved to Alaska permanently following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His degree in zoology led to work as a research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and during long periods in the field, he sketched animals in his spare time. His artwork drew the attention of the commissioner, who transferred Wallen to headquarters to become the staff artist. In 1967, he left the department to become a full-time artist, opening his own small gallery in downtown Juneau. From 1967 to 1984, he specialized in stone lithography, an ancient technique of original printmaking in which images are drawn on a smooth limestone slab and transferred to paper using ink and pressure. The hand-pulled prints were acquired by private collectors, museums and corporations and were given as gifts to and by heads of state and royalty.
Wallen's first foray into sculpture was his landmark bronze bear, Windfall Fisherman, commissioned to celebrate Alaska's first 25 years of statehood in 1984. This monumental sculpture reposes in front of the Alaska Capital. He went on to produce other monumental sculptures which can be found at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and Amsterdam, Netherlands, the University of Houston and in corporate and private collections. His latest project, funded by the U.S. Congress, is a World War II monument to commemorate the Lend-Lease Program between Alaska and Russia. Several of his maquettes (small working models) for large sculptures have been cast in small editions for sale to individuals. These include the Windfall Fisherman bear, an African figure group, a male cougar, a female cougar and the American and Russian Aviators. A Juneau group has also proposed a bronze life-size humpback whale in celebration of Alaska's 50th birthday.