New Painting – Spirit Bear (“White Kermode Spirit Bear”)

Nathalie has recently finished this painting – “Spirit Bear”. This image took six weeks to complete and is the first piece that she has done in her new studio. The idea of painting the Spirit Bear has been rolling around in Nathalie’s mind for the last few years. All of my pleading, during that time,  to get her to put it on canvas didn’t help to speed up the process! The final result, IMHO, is one of the best paintings she has ever done.

The Spirit Bear, or White Kermode Spirit Bear, is fast becoming one of the great iconic symbols of the great Canadian wilderness. With the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline  destined to traverse the landscape from the oil fields of Alberta to Kitimat on the west coast of British Columbia, which  includes the habitat of this elusive and seldom seen animal, the Spirit Bear has been catapulted onto the world stage. It is fast becoming one the ultimate symbols facing man’s unrelenting quest to extract resources from this planet, and for Canadians this national treasure is a reminder of our fragile balance with the natural world.