This painting of a black bear with sotol plants was created in Big Bend National Park during my session as one of the 2024 BBNP Artists in Residence!
A signed & numbered limited edition of 11 x 14" art prints ($100), and unlimited 8x10" art prints ($50) are available for purchase here.
The original painting is available now at 5th Street Gallery in Alpine.
I am honored that the painting was selected to feature in the first issue of Big Bend Conservancy’s magazine, accompanying an article by BBNP Wildlife Biologist Thomas Athens.
More About This Painting
My project as one of the 2024 Big Bend National Park Artists in Residence involved working with wildlife researcher Nicole Dickan of Borderlands Research Institute to learn about her study of habitat use by the black bears in the Big Bend region.
Nicole and I discussed the specific behaviors of individual bears and their preferences for different foods, different sleeping and den sites, etc.
This painting was inspired by the bear given an ID of BBM004 and called "Beechie" by the BRI study team. Beechie, a 230 lb. male, seemed to particularly enjoy eating sotol. Bears approach a sotol plant sort of like an artichoke, nibbling the soft bases of the sawtoothed leaves before consuming the soft heart of the plant.
Gouache painting on paper. This is one of two paintings that I did in Big Bend National Park while I was serving as the park's Artist in Residence.
50% of all proceeds for this image will be donated to the Big Bend Conservancy.
ORIGINAL AVAILABLE
at 5th Street Gallery in Alpine, TX.
(Contact me to facilitate purchase)
Prints Available:
11 x 14" Limited Edition Print: $85
