After finishing the large elk painting I wanted another large painting with a North American subject for my upcoming show in Nashville, Tennessee, the Safari Club International Convention in January.
I've spent quite a bit of time on the ground with polar bears in the wild so that was a logical choice.
For this piece I wanted a more intimate setting for the bear, less of an expansive landscape like some of my other polar bear paintings.
Here's the start. Grab your coat. It's going to get cold.
Like usual I am starting with the background.
First I painted the ocean "peep holes" at the very top.
As you can see my next step are the ice shadows. I like to work on the shadows first. If the shadows read well, then I add the "white" highlights.
