A Bear Hugging California is Raising Over $100,000 in Relief Efforts

Bear hugging California art prints

Our apologies for posting so infrequently as of late, but the Northern California Fires (my own home town area) have taken precedent. I chose to update people through my own facebook account and twitter account in lieu of writing blog posts because of the immediacy and ever-changing situation. But now, we share our first fire-related art story.

A Bear Hugging California Raises Relief Funds For Fire Victims

i love you california posters

A little bear hugging the state of California on various backgrounds is turning out to be one of the largest donors of relief efforts to those suffering from the tragic effects of the Northern California Wildfires that broke out on Oct 9th. He didn’t do it alone, however. He had a little help from Dave Pell and wife Gina, who not only spread the word through their respective newsletters, NextDraft and TheWhat, but also generously matched dollar-for-dollar the funds raised in the campaign (which ended Thursday*) from 3 Fish Studios. By Friday, they’d raised $100,000 through selling the posters.

raising money for Calfornia Wildfire victims

The posters come from husband and wife, Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin, of 3 Fish Studios. They are based on one of Annie Galvin’s paintings, inspired by a sheet music cover from 1913. There are 19 versions of the Bear print available in three sizes with prices ranging from $25 to $65. All of the numerous variants are adorable (there’s even an Oski for Cal Bear fans).

I Love You California print Bear
I Love You California print
Dahlia print
Cactus print
Botany print
Blue Floral print
Blue Burst print
Blanket Print
Floral print
Home Sweet Home print
Poppy print
Hydrangea print
Lily print
Pride print
Prism print
Red Leaf print
Redwoods print

One order had this note attached:
“I want to purchase 4 of these 8×10 prints. However, please do not ship. Please keep in reserve for future use by families who will be rebuilding in the next 1/2 years. Something new for their new walls.

White bear print
Cal Bear (Oski) print
Red print

The high-quality archival prints are 8-color UltraChrome K3™ inks on 300 gsm Hot Press Bright paper. These ship ready-to-frame in three standard sizes: 8″x 10″, 11″ x 14″, and 16″ x 20″.

Postcard sets are also available:

Postcard set

Shop for the I Love You California Art Prints here

* Should you still want the proceeds of your purchase to benfit the victims of the Norcal Fires, they have recently added this “From The Ashes.” Symbolizing devastation and hope, a poppy (The CA State flower) rises from the ashes. Proceeds from the sales of this 6″ x 8″ print will go to California Wildfire Relief funds.

“From The Ashes” 6″ x 8″

About Eric and Annie (from their site):

Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin of 3 Fish Studio
Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin of 3 Fish Studios

Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin are printmakers and painters, husband and wife, and founders of 3 Fish Studios. The Outer Sunset hub is home to their workshop and studio, where art happens daily and visitors are always welcome; they love collaborating, making, and sharing creative projects with cool folks.

Annie was born and raised in Ireland. She worked as an illustrator in a Dublin agency before moving to San Francisco in 1989, two weeks before the earthquake. Annie is inspired by San Francisco, Vogue magazine, comic books, Josef Frank textile designs, gardens, Mexican wrestlers, the short stories of Haruki Murakami, and her own dreams and daydreams. She doodles constantly.

Eric was born and raised on the industrial shores of Lake Michigan. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and moved to the west coast in 1987. Eric finds constant inspiration in the scale and diversity of the the California culture and landscape, and will forever love the mix of natural beauty, urban grit, and human diversity on display in San Francisco.

Annie and Eric met in Berkeley in 1998, were married in 2001, and started 3 Fish Studios in 2007. From its original space in the Dogpatch to its now permanent place in the Ocean Beach Republic, the pair have created a dedicated space where they can make and show their work together, and invite people—neighbors and newbies alike—to do the same.

3 Fish Studios