Endangered Spaces - Grizzly

At the end of the 20th century, there is still room on the planet for those animals that have historically been competitors of man, such as the bears and wolves of North America. In a sense, it is both a miracle and a privilege that those of us in charge of the planet are still able to cohabit with these significant creatures.

Bears have always been our keen competitors for prey and even for territory. We used to be on an equal footing -- man had superior brains, but bears had superior strength. Our brains were, however, an advantage, and we won. What we won was this choice: Do our competitors live free? Can they still be bears, wolves, and cougars in their own habitats and not just in zoos?
This painting shows a grizzly bear in his own domain, making his own living fishing for salmon. It also shows the grizzly's territorial nature; it is a strong, powerful creature completely capable of getting rid of its competition. I have left it to the imagination whether the bear is charging some annoying gulls or another bear on his fishing turf or you. At a safe distance, bears are a thrilling part of the scenery, but if they attack, they explode -- moving very fast and hurling an incredible amount of power and vigour. I designed this painting to exude that sense of explosion, and I composed the elements to carry through a sense of centrifugal movement toward the perimeter of the painting. The centre of the painting is deliberately empty and loose.
The salmon river represents yet another of our planet's many endangered spaces. What the grizzly needs to survive, as do the cougar and the wolf, is lots of space. Is there room on our planet for the grizzly and our other competitors? Will we set aside space so that our grandchildren can also win a choice?