The Great White Bear Painting

The polar bear is one of earth's most impressive land mammals. They are increasingly under threat from loss of arctic sea ice and diminished access to prey species due to global warming. Energy development has also caused a disruption of traditional polar bear denning areas. The historic range of the polar bear is increasingly fragmented and polar bear/grizzly bear hybrids have begun to appear. This painting was created from a photograph I took at the Portland Zoo. The artificial zoo enclosure in the background was replaced, using artistic license and oil pastels, with an icy arctic scene from my imagination. I hope that the nobility and impressiveness of the polar bear are revealed in this painting and that their intrinsic value becomes more apparent to those who may exercise their influence to help preserve these magnificent creatures and the environment that sustains them.