Here is the second new polar bear painting of the Into The Sunset - Spring Series.

If you’ve been following me on social media, you may have noticed some inconsistency in the titles of this series, as they vary from post to post. The titles for this body of polar bear oil paintings are evolving along with the theme and the work itself. (read more http://www.christinemontague.com/blog/into-the-sunset-1 )

My concept is clear enough. The polar bear, the sky, nature, the expansive vista - all are beautiful and inspiring, The arrival of spring, brings an end to the long , dark arctic winter days. Daylight returns and with it glorious big sky sunsets.

My winter has certainly been a long one, but our weather here in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada is nothing compared to the far north. I started this series in January, and it was a joy to paint bright skies, pretty colours, and of course, these beautiful polar bear faces , as the weather outside my cozy studio hovered well below zero.

We universally love a good sunset, don’t we? In art, a sunset can symbolize contracting themes - finality and the end of the story, or the promise and hope of a new day ahead.

So, no wonder I struggle with what to call the series and each painting - when the polar bear/climate change story, as well as our own, is equally “up in the air” as to a happy or sad end of the day.