news-record.com

SACRAMENTO - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has added an extra layer of security outside his Sacramento office: a massive bronze statue of a grizzly bear.

“He thought that the school kids here would get a kick out of having their picture taken in front of it,” spokesman Aaron McLear said.

The 250-pound statue by a Greensboro artist Steven Bennett was placed in the Capitol hallway Tuesday.

“Tell Arnold, 'Thank you very much,’” Bennett said Tuesday when he learned of the bear’s prominent new home inside the California Capitol. “And if he wants anything else, I’ll be happy to make it for him.”

Bennett, 55, said he does many commissioned works and particularly likes bears.

The governor spotted the bear while strolling by an art gallery on a recent fundraising trip in Aspen, Colo., and decided to buy it, said McLear.

The grizzly bear adorns the state flag and is the official state animal, although it has been extinct in California since 1922, according to the state Department of Fish and Game.

McLear said the governor bought the statue with his own money. Both he and Bennett declined to comment on the selling price.

Steven Bennett is the artist of the bronze statues, "Jesus and the Children" and "The Child Angel." Bennett, whose studio and gallery are in High Point, resides in Greensboro.

The expressions of the figures in this memorial are distinctive and convey a sense of peace and joy which helps us understand and appreciate the artistic value of the monument.