“Ursa Major, Ursa Minor Maquette”

Ursa Major, Ursa Minor was inspired as a companion sculpture to the wonderful and popular Orion sculpture by John Maisano. Ursa Major is holding a baby bear representing Ursa Minor. Together they symbolize the generations to come as they both look up to the heavens thinking of their ancestors. Ursa Major lovingly cradles Ursa Minor, and as the baby bear tenderly holds momma bear, one can notice on the back the ripples that form at the hand of Ursa Minor. This ripple effect symbolizes the effects children and grandchildren have on our lives and the memories that are to be shared together. The little feet have sgraffito designs to represent the many journeys throughout their lives. On the back of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor one notices the bronze details that are true to scale to the constellation of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. The gorgeous midnight blue patina is created to mimic the color of the sunset, going into the night sky and then the colors of the galaxy, with the speckling of the stars throughout their bodies.

John Maisano is fascinated by the artistic designs found in Celtic, African, Inuit and Tribal art which he incorporates into his sculptures. Each sculpture is inscribed with intricate designs derived from natural forms and structures. His sculptures range in size from treasures that can be held in the palm of one’s hand to larger-than-life monuments. His work focuses on graceful interpretations of animals shaped in a way that captures the life force of each animal and transforms it into something more.