Sub zero

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Polar Bears are truly impressive animals, their sheer power and presence are unmistakeable, but I was fascinated by just how much they change when in the water. The huge strength takes on an effortless elegance. Their fur moves with the rythmn of the water in delicate waves and the light plays over them causing them to shimmer. This was my first attempt at painting a subject underwater and I loved the way it defines and limits the colour palette. Also painting bubbles is just plain fun!

980lbs of Northern coastal grizzly is an awe inspiring sight and I love this huge fellows expression.

Like most bears, grizzlies have a far better sense of smell than they have eye sight and in this painting I was really trying to capture how they 'look' with their nose.

This painting was inspired by a wonderful Polar Bear cub at Toronto Zoo. He was having a whale of a time playing with a big plastic canister, this painting is my interpretation of what he was imagining while he played.

Black bears have a huge fondness for dandelions in the spring and I have often photographed them feeding on them by the roadside. Where I used to live in the Kootenays this beautiful cinammon variant of the black bear was a common sight.

To share my environment with bears is a huge privilege - to have them wonder freely through my existence without fence or cage means a great deal to me. To encounter fresh bear sign while out for a walk also does a wonderful job of focusing your attention on your surroundings!