Lions, Tigers and Bears. Oh My!

"Bear"
Acrylic on canvas 18" x 24"

I just finished the last few strokes on my painting of a beloved dog named Bear. It is ready for the frame and to be presented to its new owner.

When I think of bears, cute black doggies never came to mind before. I would think of panda bears, polar bears, adorable bear cubs, and cuddly teddy bears. I wonder why Phyllis, the best friend of my beloved friend Ruth, chose that name. But Bear is quite smashing in his red plaid bandanna and he carries his name proudly.

I always think of bears when I remember my niece's wedding. Everything was perfect for her weekend celebration, from the lovely grounds of the ceremony to the sun that came out just for them. The beautiful bride and groom modeled what every couple should look like on their wedding day, even if I am a bit biased. She is my niece, after all. Becky is now a consultant for Beautycounter, a beauty regimen that carries no questionable ingredients (like bearskin). She gets to transform brides into princesses every day, and anyone can be a princess after Becky has her way with them.

On the very long drive up to Big Indian in the Catskills, for Becky's wedding, we followed a GPS along dirt paths, confusing forks in the road, and no signs of civilization. At one point I told my son to bear right. In the back seat, my stepmom came to attention. "A Bear? Where?" she wanted to know. We were in the country after all. It was possible to see one. "No," I replied, "we just need to 'bear' right." Oh, the joys of the English language. We did end up seeing a bear at the wedding. He was probably just laughing at us and waiting for the reception to begin.

I would not want to face down a real bear in our backyard, but I would never want to witness someone with a rifle shooting a scared and hungry animal either. Deer, rabbits, chipmunks, and an occasional red fox wander through the forest where we live. They all have the right to exist, even the scary ones.

Just this week, bears were mentioned on the news. It seems there is a ban on killing bears in New Jersey and only official bear hunts are allowed with archery as the weapon. Hundreds of bears have been killed annually this way. Ugh. Maybe, we're just living on their land? Did anyone consider that?

And then there was the fattest bear competition. Beadnose, chubby bear #409 from Alaska won the honor of most blubbery. Nobody actually weighed her. She got the most likes on social media for her size. Talk about body shaming! She has to eat enough salmon and cake to last through many months of hibernation. Really, folks.

And then, of course, there is my dog, Murray, who has a pet bear named Ted. This stuffed bear recites R-rated lines from the movie whenever Murray plays with it. The bear gives Murray many minutes of happy fun as well as making us laugh. Now that's a cool bear!

Bear the Dog was a joy to portray on canvas. His red bandanna was a special detail that I enjoyed painting as much as the whispy white fur surrounding his face. I hope this bear continues to bring many years of happiness to Phyllis and his painting will hang on her wall with honor.