“Forest guardian” by Bozik in Miass, Russia

Street Artist Bozik

By Bozik in Miass, Russia for Graffiti Russia. Photos by @desevenq.

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The king of beasts

Text by Bozik: I have long had the desire to draw a bear, because in our country, he has always been a symbol of the keeper of the forest, the king of beasts.

Initially, the sketch for this drawing was a bear standing in a flower meadow. And when I was already standing in the cradle sliding down this 12-story wall, I relaxed and let what was happening happen. My soul began to open up and I began to improvise a lot.

Eventually, when I finished, I saw the following:

* Below is a picture of the earth made up of mushrooms, plants, and insects.
* A father, mother, and their children walk along the path, breathing the forest air.
* The spine of the bear is the tree of life, its foundation.
* Its roots, as a symbol of a powerful family, unite the family and nourish it with everything it needs for a happy life.
* From the bottom to the top stretches the spiral of DNA, the code that is in all of us, in every bug and in every blade of grass.

Symbol of fertility and childbearing

The bear was considered by my ancestors as a symbol of fertility and childbearing.
The image of the bear is ambiguous, it is both kind and frightening. There is something both human and magical in him, and just an animal.

In the bear’s forehead a star is lit, symbolizing the sun. On the right, in the evening clouds, the moon is lit up. Amusingly in the picture “jumped” strange hare, which appeared in one of the extreme days of drawing. The moose on the left also appeared by itself.

And on the paws of the bear were images – female and male, I spontaneously drew them from life, looking in the cradle at the powerful artist Edwin, who assisted me in the realization of this big picture. Edwin’s girlfriend, Julia became the model for the female image. It was an interesting experience to paint a portrait from life when the size of the face is two stories.

A painting of 540 square meters was painted in 8 days. Created 12-14 hours a day applied about 80 thousand dots and “strokes” with spray paint.