Description

Cute folded card from my original ”The observer”, one of the my first animal painting! Here is the story behind the piece.

My First Solo Bear Encounter and The Moment Behind The Observer

If you hike alone on Vancouver Island, people always ask, “Aren’t you scared of bears?”
The truth is, I used to be. As a kid, I had nightmares about them for months. But I also grew up loving animals, every soft, sneaky, misunderstood one of them. Over time, that love turned fear into respect.

That became real on a sunny September day while hiking to Cream Lake. A huge black bear suddenly rushed across the trail and hid behind a tree. My heart hammered, my dog froze, and through the branches I saw his eyes watching me.

What hit me wasn’t fear, it was sadness. This powerful animal was hiding from me. I was in his home, not the other way around. So I talked to him softly, apologized, and slowly walked past while he stayed perfectly still, simply observing.

That quiet moment stayed with me. It’s what inspired my painting The Observer, a tribute to the wild creatures who see us long before we ever see them, and to the brief, gentle meetings that happen when our worlds overlap.