Testimonials- 

• Your art is sublime and I can’t emphasize enough how excited i am to have original art work in my home. - F.D., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

• It ( a 30" x 30" polar bear portrait oil painting) has arrived in excellent condition and is now in place looking superb. I must commend the excellence of the artist in capturing the dynamic image. P., Great Britain, United Kingdom

• I feel most fortunate to be able to one day soon hang this magnificent "story" (Polar Bear -Dark Water 1) in a prominent place where my husband and I can enjoy it every day.  Your creative talent is amazing and reveals your passion for the focus of your masterpieces.  What I love about your polar bear renditions is the "story" that seems to emanate from each piece.  - S.B., AL, USA

• A beautiful study and very moving approach to raise awareness of the dangers these beautiful animals (polar bears) face in an every changing environment. -B.K.

• I first made contact with Christine through a search online. She had painted a fabulous large (48" x 48") mono oil on of a menacing (in the nicest possible way), Maine Coon cat which she had posted on her web site. I of course, had to purchase it.  Following that introduction I commissioned Christine to do a small colour portrait of 'Tilly', my Maine Coon. She did a wonderful job and has since originated a similar 'Tilly' mono for me. Distance was no object - Toronto, Ontario, Canada to UK - every picture arrived safe and sound and ready to have - I could even still smell the oil paint!  C.W. Great Britain, United Kingdom

• The artist exhibits a remarkable understanding of oil painting as well as an unusual depiction of a subject that is familiar but seen in a different light .Top Award. - Lupe Rodriguez (artist, Art Gallery of Ontario & U. of T lecturer, CBC arts commentator) & Ann MacDonald (Director/Curator Doris McCarthy Gallery), Ontario, Canada

• This one (a cat) is dreaming of conquest and power and the artist' s virtuoso brushwork perfectly suits the animal's emotion. Top Award. - John Sommer, Curator, Gallery Sol, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada

• Expertly composed and executed work with the flow of pattern on the water's surface echoed in the plant life on the shore. The colour of the flowers is a perfect counterpoint to the cool blues of the lake.  Top Award. - Judy Daley  PAMA curator. Peel Heritage Art Gallery (now PAMA, Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives). Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Podcasts - Christine Montague, Canadian Portrait & Polar Bear Artist

• Here is the link to my recent interview all about my polar bear art with Paul Constable, founder of Artists in Canada. Meet Christine

• Listen to my interview with about my Polar Bear Art on the podcast Art Conversations with Lisa J. Irvine here

Blogs

• Christine Montague  interview on Carolyn Edmund, Artsy Shark here

• Christine Montague Interview on Bind Collective here

MEET CHRISTINE-

Christine Montague (B.F.A., B.Sc. Biology) is an award-winning Canadian portrait and realism artist with a passion for polar bears. Whether polar bear, person or place, Christine strives to capture the beauty, character and spirit of her subject matter, as well an accurate likeness in her art. Her dramatic polar bear portraiture paintings show a bear that is intelligent, powerful and paused in a solitary journey, afloat in a dark sea, or reflecting in the northern lights. The polar bear is muse to themes of wonder and hope, even under environmental threat.

To further her knowledge about polar bears, Christine has traveled to Iqaluit and Kingaait (formerly Cape Dorset) in the arctic, and Churchill, Manitoba, the subarctic polar bear capital of the world.

As a portrait artist, Christine was awarded the commission to paint the world renowned jazz great, Dr. Oscar Peterson. It hangs on permanent display in the City of Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre.

Christine jumped into the art world full time when she was invited to help create and have a studio at the Beaux-Arts-Brampton Artist Co-operative in Brampton, ON, Canada.

She subsequently moved her studio and gallery to the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre in Glen Williams (Georgetown), Halton Hills, ON, Canada). She served as Chair of the Mill Artist Group, and later on the Board of the Williams Mill Foundation. She conceived and organized the Eyeful Art Salon which ran for numerous years.

After building a beautiful studio in Mississauga, ON, her her polar bear painting “Dark Water” took top award in 2017 in a Canada wide call to artist juried show at the Canadian National Exhibition , Toronto.

This resulted in her 2018 solo show of polar bear art “Dark Water” at Artworld Fine Art Gallery (now The Donna Child Art Gallery) in Toronto, ON. At the opening was special guest , James Kushny of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC). Christine and Artworld Fine Art Gallery were pleased to donate a portion of the sales to this worthy not for profit devoted to research for sustainability of the north.

In 2020, her solo show of polar bear art “on thin ice” was at the Montgomery’s Inn, Etobicoke, ON. Christine was pleased to able to donate again to CNSC.

2023 “Polar Bear Wonder and Warning” was Christine’s solo show about polar bears in the Fireside Gallery at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Burlington, ON.

In Fall 2023, Christine had the honour of being the featured artist on a polar bear adventure tour to Churchill, Manitoba.

Her paintings have appeared in over 80 regional art shows.

Christine served on the boards of Visual Arts Brampton, Beaux-Arts Brampton, Mill Artists Group , The Lakeview Legacy Committee (Small Arms Building) and The Williams Mill Foundation.

Committed to the polar bear and climate change story in her art, Christine works out of her Burlington, Ontario, Canada studio.

Her artwork has travelled further afield, to collections in Canada, the U.S.A, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Bermuda.