Carolyn Faulkner spent Friday putting the final touches, or more accurately varnish, on a giant panda standing in the center of her studio. Faulkner's Asian-inspired bear is one of 150 that will dot the streets of Washington D.C. from mid May through September as part of the city's "Pandamania," sponsored by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
"I wanted to do a happy, playful design. I was thinking of children," Faulkner said. "I thought it would be so wonderful to expose my art to so many people."
The project had the Herndon artist working in her studio six to seven days a week for eight to 10 hours a day in order to met Sunday's deadline. The commission selected the 150 pandas from more than 1,400 entries, then supplied the pandas — there is a sitting and a standing bear — a $1,500 honorarium, and about a month to complete to artwork. The commission also made available work space for those who did not want to use their own studios. Faulkner's standing panda weighed 150 pounds, before adding the paint.
"I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked. There's not as much detail as I wanted to do," Faulkner said of the time constraint. Even so, Faulkner said she is honored to be a part. As of Friday, Faulkner did not know where her panda would be located. When Pandamania concludes, the commission will auction off the pandas with the proceeds going to arts grants and arts educational projects.