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A grizzly bear is HUGE! I had never realised until I saw a pair in Chapultapec Zoo, Mexico City. We were visiting the zoo to see the last panda in Latin America, so seeing grizzlies was a huge bonus and surprise. With their ferocious reputation, I was glad to observe them at a distance. The trees in their enclosure bore the marks of their huge claws. Grizzly bears have long, curved claws that can grow up to 4 inches in length—about the size of the average human finger.
The large hump on a grizzly bear’s shoulders is not just for show—it’s a massive muscle that powers the bear’s forelimbs. This muscle helps grizzlies dig for food, tear into carcasses, and run swiftly when necessary.Grizzlies can run fast, reaching speeds as fast as 35 miles an hour for very short sprints. They are good swimmers too. Cubs can climb trees to evade danger, but they lose this ability as their front claws grow longer. Grizzly bears can live to be 30 years in the wild.
The bears stayed in my imagination upon our return and I wanted to celebrate them with this painting. It is 120x100cm – the largest canvas I can store. It’s painted in ink and watercolour and the background is metal leaf. I textured the background with leaves as a nod to their environment. Sadly humans are encroaching all the time and this only makes dangerous encounters more likely.
