I'm very excited to announce that Limited Edition Fine Art Prints of my latest painting of a Grizzly bear family titled Sâkihitowin ᓵᑭᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᐣ will be available to pre order exclusively on my website starting March 5th, 2024. Three different sizes of hand-signed and numbered Limited Edition Prints will be available; 8.5x11", 13x19" and 17x22".
Sâkihitowin ᓵᑭᐦᐃᑐᐃᐧᐣ - meaning the authentic Indigenous practice of love and kindness for oneself, family, and community is significant in the ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐊᐧᐠ (Nehiyaw/Cree) 3 ways of knowing, being and doing. It is the act of being in love, i.e. a mutual love. [Source: Cree dictionary] The title of the painting was chosen by it's commissioner, Lee Bear Muskwa; which has very special meaning to him and his family. Lee Bear, also known as LJ Muskwa, is a Canadian Indigenous artist/creator, comedian and fast-rising star in North America. It's a true honour that Lee Bear chose me to paint this special image for him and his family.
The photographic image referenced / licensed for this painting was taken by talented American wildlife photographer Andrew Sentipal; "That is one of my favorite images. I really liked the stacked ears. This was taken in Katmai National Park in Alaska. The only way into the particular area this was taken in is by float plane. No roads, boat access and hiking might be 40 plus miles to get there. We landed on a small pond nearby and walked to the area of the river to watch the Salmon run. The place where we were when I took the image is a small flat area above the river where the Salmon were spawning. Look hard and you will see a small portion of the river in the frame. We spent quite some time with this group. Mom was fishing and the two first year cubs played with each other on shore when we first spotted them. Then she took them up and away from the river. Mom looked exhausted. Male grizzlies will kill the cubs in order to mate so she had to keep moving them around. She felt comfortable enough with us that she fell asleep and through a long lens I was able to photograph them for quite some time. A day to remember for sure. Looking at the bear images from that shoot brings back lots of memories. It was a big honor for mom to allow us to sit on the bluff with her and eat lunch. It is so special to spend time with these amazing animals. Check out the Brooks Falls bear cams on YouTube to explore. The salmon are running and the bears are taking advantage of it." ~ Andrew Sentipal
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Artwork © Melissa Bain. Image Reference/Photo © Andrew Sentipal / Andrewscamera.com