All About January’s Featured Painting of The Month

Into The Sunset 1 is the first painting to be featured in my Painting of the Month Special Value Offer. It is also the first painting I created in a series of polar bear portraits that capture the spirit of spring in the Arctic—a time when the polar bear’s solitary journey for food, shelter, and companionship comes to a close for another season. The long, dark days of winter are finally replaced by the returning daylight and the stunning sunsets of the Arctic sky.

I began this series during one of the coldest winters I’ve experienced in Toronto (not this year, which has been great). Despite the frigid temperatures outside my cozy studio, painting the bright skies and vibrant colours of the Arctic landscape brought a sense of warmth.

If you know my other artwork, you’ll have observed the colour palette in this painting is quite different than the one I usually use. Typically, my polar bears exist in a world of the blues and blacks of dark water and the Arctic night.

Here’s an example of my Darker palette. HERE

In Into The Sunset 1, greys , mauves and peaches are the featured colours. Interestingly, this painting is on trend in that it goes well with Pantone’s Colour of the Year - Mocha Mousse.

I’ve been fortunate to visit Churchill, Manitoba twice, including an educational stay at the fabulous Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC). Both these visits took place in the fall, with winter setting in. But, lucky me, I have experienced Kinngait, Nunavut, in the spring, when the waters began to open up, and we had to be vigilant for polar bears in town. I try to bring these real life impressions of the North to my art, even though the scenarios are always from my imagination.

The Into the sunset Series: Nature's Beauty and Fragility

In Into The Sunset 1, it is like we are ghosts and the polar bear passes by us, soon to be gone. The polar bear, sea ice, and open waters are all connected by the soft light of the setting sun. The contrast of the darkening sky and the soft glow on the ice and fur invites us to pause and consider the interconnectedness of nature.

The painting evokes both a sense of beauty and urgency—what will we lose, and how can we ensure a future for these incredible creatures?

The setting sun in this painting represents both an end and a beginning. While it signals the close of the day, it also offers a sense of renewal, reminding us that the future is not set in stone. There is still hope.

The Symbolism of Sunsets

We’ve all experienced the magic of a sunset, whether from a beach, a mountaintop, or the comfort of our backyards. In art, sunsets often carry a dual symbolism: they can signify finality, the end of a story, or they can symbolize the hope of a new beginning, the new dawn or a more somber end. .

As I worked through this series, I’ve struggled to find the perfect title for each piece because, like the sunset itself, the message is complex.

But for this painting, the choice was simple. As the first created in what was to become the Into The Sunset Series, it carries the same title. I notice I often do this. The first painting is the introduction as well as the inspiration for those that follow.

Here are the links to more in the series -

• Into The Sunset

• Into The Sunset 2

• Looking Back, Moving Forward

• In the Pink

What do you think of the series? Your thoughts and reflections are always welcome as we navigate these big questions together.

Thank you for joining me on this artistic journey of hope and awareness.