Floating!
Floating is a contemporary original oil painting of a beautiful young polar bear afloat under the Arctic sea. This 12” x 12” x 1.5” canvas art is part of The Swimmer Series. I’ll talk a little more about that series further down.
Floating. The Swimmer Series. 12” x 12”x 1.5” original oil painting on canvas.
If this is the first time you’ve stumbled upon my art, you may not know I’m an professional artist with a biology background, who is passionate about polar bears and am concerned, along with a lot of the world, about their vulnerability to climate change.
I accept portrait commissions and sometimes paint other iconic subjects, such as canoes, and this all helps to support my extremely niche subject matter focus (i.e. polar bears).
If you’d like to check out my portrait art please click How to commission a Portrait Painting
My polar bear painting style has evolved out of my traditional portraiture style, so often there is a more formal look to my polar bear art. (Examples of this here & here). Also portrait like, is the fact I show a solitary bear, against a backdrop, such as dark water, that seems innocuous, but actually reminds us of the polar bear’s vulnerability to climate change and the Albedo Effect.
What’s The Albedo Effect?
Albedo Effect explained as the earth’s air conditioner ©Christine Montague
The Albedo Effect. Polar bears need the frozen sea to hunt ringed seals. The later the sea ice forms and the earlier it breaks up, means the polar actually lives off its body fat (seaweed, eggs and birds do not provide the right nutrition), without eating for months. Starvation means fewer cubs and shortened life spans, as well as increased negative interaction with mankind.
Do you know that polar bears are marine mammals?
I didn’t! That is, not until I started this journey as polar bear artist in 2011. But, it is the frozen sea that the polar bear depends upon for hunting, safe travel, shelter, mating, and denning.
However, the polar bear is still one heck of swimmer thanks to its buoyant, insulated body, powerful muscles, slightly webbed front paws and nicitating eyelid (this transparent third eyelid serves as a second lens that aids vision underwater).
Polar bears swim incredible distances (there are documented swims of over 400 miles), and stay underwater for over a minute, (although one was observed at over 3 minutes) at depths of approximately 9 - 14 ft ( although one bear was observed to dive down between 147.6 - 164 ft!) .
The Swimmer Series Breaks Away From My More Traditional Art
As I mentioned before, my polar bear art is often more traditional portraiture, a solitary face (or body) against a neutral dark backgrounds. In Floating and the other paintings of The Swimmer Series I show the whole bear in action, swimming under the ocean’s surface. The water is dark, but highlighted by the bright greens of the northern lights. The brush strokes are painterly and move like the water. Although I rarely paint my polar bears white, these bears in the darkness of the water are mauve and navy symbolizing royalty and intelligence. Th polar bear is paused in the moment as we see in Floating or barreling forward as with Northern Lights Navigator.
I’m not sure what the polar bear is thinking in Floating, but it does appear to be a bit of a My, my, what do we have here moment.
Floating close up.
A Featured Painting Means a Special Price
Once a month I select a painting to feature, and offer it at special value. This month’s painting is Floating. P.S. Subscribers to my newsletter receive advance notice of each month’s special.
Here's more about May’s Painting Of The Month
Floating
Original oil painting
12” x 12” x .75” canvas
Edges nicely finished in black
Wired and ready to hang
Certificate of Authenticity supplied.
Regularly $395
Special $295
Other paintings in The Swimmer Series are