Twelve years ago I was guiding wildlife artist Michael Felber on the coast of Katmai National Park when a giant, male coastal grizzly ambled down the beach towards us on his way to a salmon filled creek. His demeanor exuded confidence and wisdom earned through over twenty years of surviving in the rugged wilderness of the Alaska Peninsula. We sat motionless in the driftwood as he passed, pausing briefly to examine us just long enough for Michael to take a photo.
Michael used this photo as a reference for a drawing using Derwent colored pencils over watercolor on coquille paper. I also wrote a story called ” Ode To Grandfather, An Essay About A Great Bear” to help people appreciate and understand this bear’s life, which comes with the drawing when purchased.
A few weeks ago this drawing, called “Grandfather,” was awarded a prestigious jury award at the international exhibition, Focus On Nature XIII! This exhibition is currently on view at the New York State Museum, in Albany, until January 4, 2015.
“As you can imagine I was thrilled and honored, since there are so many great works of art in this exhibition. Winning a jury award at an international exhibition is a big deal” Michael recently told me.
Michael has printed posters of this drawing in the same size as the original, and has donated them to help Chris Morgan’s conservation organization Wildlife Media. You can check out Wildlife Media’s work and buy a poster by clicking here. They have already raised $8,000 towards bear conservation with “Grandfather!”
Recently, Michael has also donated these posters to the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, to help them raise money for their campaign to buy all the commercial bear hunting licenses in the Great Bear Rainforest. You can buy it from their site, and support their efforts conserving British Columbia’s bears and coastal ecosystems by clicking here- http://www.raincoast.org/product/grandfather-by-michael-felber/
All profits from sales of this award winning drawing by Michael Felber go directly to conservation of grizzly bears and their habitat.
I encourage anyone who likes this beautiful drawing to order one, and in doing so, help support conservation efforts. These majestic animals need all the help they can get! Click here to check out another post I wrote about guiding wildlife artists- http://goodnature.nathab.com/wildlife-on-canvas/
Also read some thoughts on why grizzlies should be conserved.
1 Comment
Kris HigginsThanks for the challenge Becci! When I steartd backpacking about 10 years ago I decided that I should see the Grand Canyon. It was my second backpack trip Now, it’s time to embark on the next 10 years. Looking forward to reading more! I love your art and your writing!