Polar Bears In Dark Water
Each oil painting of the Dark Water Series vividly depicts a solitary polar bear navigating the quiet, cold darkness of the Arctic sea. Its dense white fur is dramatically illuminated against the inky black backdrop. of sea and night sky.
Beauty in Suspense Dark Water Series 30” x 30” ©Christine Montague
Unique among bears, the polar bear, is a marine mammal. The polar bear’s remarkable size (the biggest bear) and incredible strength, combined with its slightly webbed front paws and highly insulated, buoyant body, make it an exceptional and powerful swimmer.
So each painting in the Dark Water Series is a portrait of a polar bear completely at ease and in its natural element, whether shown gliding above the dark water’s surface or submerged beneath it.
Out There. Dark Water Series (private collection) 30” x 30” oil painting ©Christine Montague PRINTS
However, the phrase “dark water” carries a deeper, more troubling meaning.
The earth’s bright white polar ice cap, which acts as a massive reflector of the sun’s heat, is rapidly shrinking due to climate change driven by rising carbon emissions.
The Polar Bear Question (Not Enough) Dark Water Series 30” x30” oil ©Christine Montague
As polar ice melts, it exposes more dark ocean water, which absorbs far more solar heat than the reflective ice once did.
This reduction in reflective surface and the resulting increase in heat absorption accelerate further ice melt—a dangerous, self-perpetuating cycle known as the ice-albedo feedback loop or the Albedo Effect.
Dark Water 7 . Dark Water Series (private collection) 12” ×12” oil ©Christine Montague
As I mentioned, the polar bear is a marine mammal, but it is the frozen sea it relies on for survival. The sea ice is essential for the polar bear to hunt, travel, rest, feed her young (which cannot nurse in water), and den (critical for the mother bear and her cubs during semi-hibernation and harsh winter storms).
Dark Water 6. Dark Water Series. 12” x 12” oil painting ©Christine Montague
The lengthening period of open water from spring through fall, along with the growing distances between ice floes in winter, severely endangers the polar bear by increasing the risk of starvation, predator attacks, and drowning.
Dark Water 5. Dark Water Series 12” x 12” oil painting ©Christine Montague
I’ve created the polar bear portraits of the Dark Water Series as a celebration and tribute to this iconic, majestic bear. I hope these heartfelt oil paintings offer you a profound emotional connection to a face that, though not human, embodies intelligence, resilience & beauty as profound as our own.
Of course, they are a cautionary tale, too. The polar bear’s vulnerability to climate change is dependant on how much ice lies just outside the picture frame.
Swimming With The Northern Lights (private collection) 48” x 36” oil painting . Prints available here