new painting

Thoughtful Reflections

Art that Inspires

One of the great joys of being an artist who sells online, is that I actually get to have some contact with those who collect my art. Galleries are great, but most galleries keep the collectors names to themselves (rightfully so as their mailing list is their business). It is always a pleasant surprise when I receive a collector’s thoughts on why they purchased one of my polar bear paintings or receive a photo of the painting in situ in their home.

Recently I received these thoughtful reflections from a first time collector of my art that I think capture a lot of what I try to say with my painting. I am not bilingual, but these comments were written to me in French and so I wanted to include them in the language written.

Do you see what this person sees in my art? Id love to know in the comments below.


Reverence 1 ©Christine Montague. 12” x 12” oil painting. Private collection.

Reverence 1:   

It calls me to live with love and gentleness for others, because I do not know what they are going through, but everyone needs to feel respected, recognized, and loved. The beauty of the sky in the background gives me hope for a new day that dawns with the determination to do my part to stop the deterioration of the natural world and maintain hope for a better world since despair and resignation cannot benefits only those who exploit the world and others.

Elle m’appelle à vivre avec amour et douceur pour autrui, car je ne sais pas ce qu’ils vivent, par compte tous ont besoin de se sentir respecter, reconnue, et aimer. La beauté du ciel en arrière plan me donne l’espérance d’un jour nouveau qui se lève avec la determination de faire ma part pour cesser la détérioration du monde naturelle et garder l’espérance pour un monde meilleur puisque le désespoir et la résignation ne bénéficie que ceux qui exploite le monde et l’autrui. 

- F. D. Vancouver, B.C., Canada



Reverence 3. ©Christine Montague. 12” x 12” oil painting. Private collection.

Reverence 3:

I feel a lot of the same emotions with this piece, and by juxtaposing them I see the same bear, but in a different state. Sometimes I interpret his roar symbolizing anger towards an environment that is malicious, unhealthy, aggressive, and hostile. Sometimes it seems to me like a cry of anguish, not knowing how else to respond to this new world. A world dedicated to destroying its existence.

Je ressent beaucoup des mêmes émotions avec cette pièce, et en les juxtaposant je vois le même ours, mais dans un état différent. Des fois j’interprète son rugissement symbolisant une colère envers un environnement qui lui est malveillant, malsain, agressif, et hostile. Des fois ça me semble un cri d’angoisse, ne sachant pas comment répondre à ce nouveau monde autrement. Un monde vouer à détruire son existence. 

- F.D. Vancouver, B.C., Canada

If you enjoy my Reverence Series, there are other square foot paintings still available in the series. You can peruse these polar bear and northern lights paintings in Shop Original Art.

Detail - Reverence 2. See the complete painting here.

Here is December 9th's Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar

Polar Bear Prayers

Today’s polar bear art is created from Polar Bear Prayers, an original oil painting on a 6” diameter round canvas. To learn more about this painting, please click here.

Polar Bear Painting of the Day - Family is Golden

Some Polar Bear Familytime.

Today’’ painting suits a Sunday morning post -

Family is Golden

Family, love, & togetherness are represented by this pink, gold and rose gold acrylic paint on wood panel.
The polar bear is an intelligent, good mother. Polar bear cubs climb all over the mama bear just as our human little ones do. Her cubs stay with her for about 30 months.

In my art gold paint represents the royalty and intelligence of the polar bears, and the richness of nature.

Crackled white paint adds to the illusion of fur in the painting, but the "cracks" also symbolize the vulnerability of this polar bear family due to climate change.

A stylized gold ribbon behind them represents the northern lights, as well as our connection to the bears.

The sides of the wood panel are painted gold. The painting is wired and ready for hanging.

24"H x 12"W x 0.75"D wood panel

Special price $500 CAD. Free shipping in Canada.

Shop here

Family is Golden. 24” x 12” ©Christine Montague wood panel.

Family is Golden. 24” x 12” ©Christine Montague wood panel.

The Polar Bear Life Preserver

Polar Bear Life Preserver

The intrepid polar bear, backlit by the northern lights, is perched upon a circular ice floe. There isn't much room, but not to worry, this marine mammal is a powerful swimmer.

The real question is how much sea ice will our bear find located out past the picture frame? It is the frozen sea that the polar bear depends upon for travel, hunting, food and shelter. It is the frozen sea that is the life preserver for our beautiful bear.

12" x 12" x 1.5" oil painting on canvas

Edges are painted black. Wired, ready to hang. Certificate of Authenticity supplied.

$350 CAD. Free shipping to Canada and USA.

Please contact me.

Polar Bear Life Preserver  ©Christine Montague

Polar Bear Life Preserver ©Christine Montague


Polar Bear in Dark water

Dark Water 1 is an oil painting portrait of a beautiful polar bear swimming.  The water is dark, as daylight is diminished in the arctic fall.

Polar Bear in Dark Water. ©Christine MontagueAvailable at Artworld Fine Art Gallery until July 20, 2017. 365 Evans Ave. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

Polar Bear in Dark Water. ©Christine MontagueAvailable at Artworld Fine Art Gallery until July 20, 2017. 365 Evans Ave. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

But dark water has another implication. The earth’s bright white polar ice cap, which serves as a giant reflector for the sun’s heat, is being diminished by climate change from carbon emissions. The melting polar ice increases the darkness of the planet’s surface (hence “dark water”), decreases the sun reflected back into space, and increases the heat absorbed by the earth. More ice melts, which creates more dark water,  and so the loop continues.

This loop of sea ice loss and increased dark water endangers the polar bear. Although this magnificent bear is a highly intelligent (think great ape), top-of-the-arctic-food-chain marine mammal (the only bear that is such), and is a powerful swimmer (slightly webbed front paws, highly insulated and buoyant body), it is dependant on the frozen sea for hunting (only seal fat sustains them, not berries or birds’ eggs), resting, feeding (can’t nurse in water) and denning (necessary for mother bears with cubs, semi-hibernation, and to ride out storms).  The increase of the period of open water from spring to fall, and the distance between ice tops in winter, leaves the polar bear and its cubs vulnerable to starvation, attack, and drowning.

The polar bear in Dark Water 1 gazes back upon her path, her body twisted as if in question.

It is up to the viewer to imagine how far outside the picture frame the next ice floe waits, and whether or not, until this moment, her journey was a solitary one.

Shrodinger's Cat, er, Polar Bear

A Polar Bear Cub Painting

The polar bear cub painting below,  is the second in my Sink/Swim series of polar bear  oil paintings. This painting comments on  sea ice loss and its negative effect on the polar bear habitat. 

Sinking or Swimming?

©Christine Montague. Sink/Swim 2. 12" x 6" oil painting. 

©Christine Montague. Sink/Swim 2. 12" x 6" oil painting. 

Climate change has decreased the amount of sea ice necessary for the mother bears to hunt seals, feed their young, and sometimes den. The season of open water from spring to fall has increased, delaying the opportunity to hunt. Cubs do not yet have that great insulating layer of fat and so the mother bear must carry the baby bears on her back as she swims to the next ice top.  These trips  are not always successful. Polar bear cubs just simply vanish along the route, and sometimes the mothers do, too.

The bear cub above, does not seem distressed. Like with the experiment Schrodinger's Cat, it is up to the viewer's thoughts about what this bear's state of being is.

For my online gallery of polar bear art – paintings and portraits, please visit ChristineMontague.com