5-color Serigraph, 24 X 35 Inches, 100% Cotton Paper, 500 Limited Edition, 50 Artists Proofs, Published in 1985, Printer: Panda Press
While reading about large vegetarian animals Jeffrey Sax came across the little publicized fact that Teddy Roosevelt killed Pandas on a hunting trip to China. The killed bears were brought back to New York City where they were stuffed and presented in diarama's at the Natural History Museum. They were instantly popular and the first "Teddy Bears" were born. This serigraph represents a role reversal. The Panda is holding a doll-like child as a child would hold a cherished toy. The ideal is that the bear will not hurt the child (doll) and when the child grows up, it will not hurt the bear. A theme of mutual respect between man and animal, (Vegetarian) and East and West, (Political and Cultural). The characters in the upper left are Chinese for "White Bear" balanced out by the western letters for Panda. In 1985 with the help of art publisher David Perlmutter, Jeffrey Sax bought a printing press and set up shop. This serigraph is the first and only print that Panda Press completed.
Panda
From his studio/gallery at 807 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA. Jeffrey Sax has been producing and selling his work to a worldwide audience. His serigraphs from the 1980's were hand printed, one color at a time, by master printers (primarily David Smith of Seriphics). Edition series were usually limited to 500 prints (or less) and there are no originals. The artist working with a photographer created transparent overlays which were then burned onto screens by the printer. This integrity factor combined with Jeff's artistry has earned him representation in museums alongside artists like Warhol, Picasso, and Rauschenberg.