Special Offer. Special Bear. Special Day. Special Code. International Polar Bear Day 2021 Celebration

Special Offer! Enter code POLARBEAR21 for 10% off

In celebration of International Polar Bear Day Feb. 27th, 2021 I am excited to offer my polar bear art at a special value! Valid from February 23 - Feb. 28, 2021

(Sorry, cannot be applied to custom art or portraits)

Shop for polar bear art here.

An example of savings -

In the Pink (below) Regular price is $884.96 CAD + 115.04 hst = $1000 CAD

Special price until (and incl.) February 28th, 2021 is $796.46 CAD + 103.54 hst = $900 CAD

BONUS! Free shipping to Canada.

About International Polar Bear Day

International Polar Bear Day is held annually to raise awareness of the polar bear and its vulnerability to climate change. On this day, as well as the days leading up to it, Polar Bears International, a world wide acclaimed resource of research on polar bears, offers a delightful selection of live events .

A lot of what I have learned about polar bears, I have learned from PBI, as well as from another favourite of mine the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC). I had an incredible learning adventure at the CNSC, and it was there, out on the tundra, Our Tundra Buggy actual passed Tundra Buggy One, the PBI research buggy.

As a result, I always try to commit a portion of my polar bear paintings sales to polar bear research.

In the Pink. 24” x 25” oil painting on canvas. ©ChristineMontague More info on this painting here

Get Ready to Run

Here are a series of polar bear paintings, that viewed together animate an arctic night life moment.

At approximately 12" wide, the polar bear paw width is the same height as the paintings below.

In Paws Pause, (info here) a handsome polar bear pauses on its solitary journey in the arctic night. What does it sense out there in the dark? Its sensitive nose can pick up scents from over a kilometre away. And its round, furry ears hear better than ours. Then….

Paws Pause. First in the series. ©Christine Montague

Our intrepid bear is Thinking (info here)….and….

Thinking. Second in the series. ©Christine Montague

….now, the paws of this powerful, apex predator, with their thick, curved and very sharp 2 inch plus claws, have changed direction. And appear to be heading your way. So...

"Oh, oh"

(info here)

Oh, Oh. Third in the series. ©Christine Montague

I often use blue in my polar bear art because it is one of the world's most popular colours, and it symbolizes intelligence, nature, royalty, and spirit. Perfect for the intelligent , curious and powerful polar bear, one of the world's most favourite animals.

Each of these original oil paintings is 12”H x 6”W x 1.5”D wood panel. Edges are black. Wired and ready to hang. A Certificate of Authenticity is supplied.

$195 each CAD. includes taxes. BONUS! Free shipping to Canada and USA. Wish to buy all 3? Contact me for additional savings. Please contact me here

Painting of the Day - Into the Sunset 1

Polar Bear "Into the Sunset 1"

A powerful looking polar bear is portrayed against the setting sun, and the sea. The darkness of the winter is retreating, as is the sea ice, so important for the polar bear's survival.

As the sun sets, its glory is reflected in what remains of the sea ice and off the polar bear's translucent fur.

We can reflect, too. What will we loose under the threat of climate change? A setting sun offers hope with a new day ahead, but it also symbolizes the end of a story. Do we want a happy one? .

24" x 24' x 1.5" Painting continues around edges. Wired ready to hang. Certificate of Authenticity supplied.

$1000 CAD. Free shipping to Canada. Shipping is available worldwide. Contact me here

Into the Sunset 1 © Christine Montague ChristineMontague.com

Polar Bear Cubs- How to See the Picture

Triplets

This stylized oil painting has a climate change story to tell, and can be hung vertically or horizontally to do so. 

Hung horizontally: In my latest oil painting, Triplets, three polar bear cubs affectionately play with their mother, secure and warm in their den. It is rare that 3 cubs are born and so this is one lucky polar bear mother.

One of the cubs is in the shadows. It could be a sign of foreboding, but is more a comment of how the healthier a bear is the more likely multiple births succeed. (Recently, a Polar Bears International post mentioned a bear with three cubs was observed for the first time in five years.) 

Triplets. Hung horizontally. ©Christine Montague Oil painting. 20” x 30”

Hung vertically: The bear family’s survival is dependant on sea ice. Too early a breakup of the ice in the spring, and a delay in its formation in the fall, leaves the polar bear and cubs vulnerable to starvation, drowning and threat from male bears. 

30” x 20” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas. Edges are painted black. Wired, ready to hang. Certificate of Authenticity supplied. 

$1000 CAD Free shipping to Canada . Please contact me. 

Triplets hung vertically. 30”h x 20”w ©Christine Montague

A Favourite Colour for a Favourite Animal

The Blue Prince at a Crossroad

"Blue Prince" is the Spanish, French and Italian reference for "Prince Charming". And this polar bear is definitely that. Blue is the world's favourite colour & is associated with nature. It makes you feel good to look at blue. Deep blue symbolizes intelligence, dignity, and authority.
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This bear attends looks to the right towards the future, but is also standing solidly in place. His past and future fates are at a crossroad. With action - for example, reducing carbon emissions & single use plastic use, as well as turning down the thermostat -the future ahead for this bear is not to be simply the stuff or folklore (you know, once upon a time, there was this great white bear.) Action, means the polar landscape, polar animals, and the rest of the planet will have a fairy tale ending.
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Edges are painted black. Wired, ready to hang.
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30" x 40" x 1.5"
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$1900 CAD Free shipping to Canada. Contact me

Curb-side delivery available for those in the Greater Toronto area.

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Looking Back Moving Forward - Happy New Year

Looking Back, Moving Forward

The painting below has the perfect title - Looking Back, Moving Forward - for New Year's Eve. New Year’s Eve is all about saying goodbye to what has been a heck of a year, and saying hello with great anticipation, to the new one.

Looking Back, Moving Forward tells a story about a polar bear in the spring (the next thing we can look forward to). The arctic night has ended, dramatic sunsets make their reappearance , the sea ice is breaking up, and the polar bear returns to the tundra. As the day draws to an end, the sun’s glory is reflected off the open water, the remaining ice, and the polar bear's translucent fur - sea, ice and polar bear connected by its light, colour and warmth.

In the movies, setting off into the sunset symbolizes a happy ending, but it is also the promise of a new day ahead.

Wishing you all a better new day, and New Year ahead!

Looking Back, Moving Forward is a 24" x 24" x 1.5" oil painting ©Christine Montague . It is available.

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 No. 25 Wishes you a Very Merry Christmas!!

.. and so do I!

Everyday from Dec. 1st until today, Dec. 25th, I added a new polar bear painting to my Polar Bear Advent Calendar. Thank you for following along!

My wish for you is the beauty and wonder of the Day, good health and peace of mind.

Fond regards ,

Christine

Detail Rising in the Moonlight. Please scroll down to see the complete painting with ut text.

Here is the last of the special offers ( valid until December 31st, 2020 $130 CAD includes shipping to USA & Canada.

Rising in the Moonlight

In this portrait oil painting, a polar bear, spotlit by the moon, rises up from beneath the surface of the dark arctic sea.

Polar Bear Rising in the Moon Light. ©Christine Montague Until Dec 31, 2020. $130 CAD includes shipping to Canada or USA.

10” x 8” x .75 " oil paint on wood panel. It is signed by the artist. It is wired and ready for hanging.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $260 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

Watch Out Racoons! Here's Dec. 23rd of the Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar

Everyday from Dec 1- 25th, a new polar bear painting is offered at a special value! (valid until Dec 31, 2020)

Polar Bear Bandit

Why a bandit? Because the polar bear, as one of the world’s most beloved animals, has stolen our hearts! A bit racoon-like (now there’s a bandit), but the halo -like moon behind, shines on this bear’s innocence. 

This is an acrylic + gold metallic acrylic painting on wood panel.The sides, however, are painted black giving the work a graphic look. The paint is slightly textured. 

Graphite, white, black & metallic gold acrylic paint

10” x 8” x .75 " wood panel.  Wired and ready to hang.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $260 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

Detail of Polar Bear Bandit. Please scroll down for original 10” x 8” painting without text. .

The complete painting. Trim, halo, and details, including highlights in eyes are metallic gold.

What is This Polar Bear Thinking Of? Here's the Latest Advent Calendar Art Special

Everyday from Dec 1- 25th, a new polar bear painting is offered at a special value! (valid until Dec 31, 2020)

Consideration of the Polar Bear King: Polar Bear #22

The handsome, intelligent bear in this painting stands, paws together. It is if he is listening patiently to someone before him & thoughtfully considering what is said. Oh, oh. If it’s a representative of the human race before him, we ‘ve got some explaining to do.

The halo-like gold sun that radiates behind him symbolizes his powerful and royal position as top predator in the arctic.

The gold metallic paint also represents the wealth we have in the nature around us. And like the polar bear, gold is beautiful to most who behold it.

The edges of this acrylic painting on wood panel have been painted in gold. 

10” x 8” x .75 " graphite, white, black & metallic gold acrylic paint on wood panel. 

The edges of this wood panel are painted gold. Wired and ready to hang.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $260 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

Polar Bear King Moves On. Here's Today's Very Special Offer

Everyday from Dec 1- 25th, a new polar bear painting is offered at a special value! (valid until Dec 31, 2020)

Polar Bear King Moves On

Behind this regal polar bear a metallic gold sun radiates. The halo-like gold sun symbolizes his powerful and royal position as top predator in the arctic.

The Polar Bear King Moves On (Detail). To see the full 10” x 8” panel, please scroll down.

The gold metallic paint also represents the wealth we have in the nature around us. And like the polar bear, gold is beautiful to most who behold it. 

The gold also represents the sun, and global warming. The polar bear moves on, ahead of the situation for now. 

The edges of this acrylic painting on wood panel have been painted in gold. 

Because graphite is used in this work, the painting has been varnished to seal in the line work. The painting is wired and ready for hanging. 

10” x 8” x .75 " graphite, white, black & metallic gold acrylic paint on wood panel. 

The edges of this wood panel are painted gold. Wired and ready to hang.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $260 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

The Polar Bear King Moves On ©Christine Montague Metallic acrylic paint & graphite on panel. Varnished.

Why the Halo? Advent Calendar Polar Bear # 19 Answers Why

Everyday from Dec 1- 25th, a new polar bear painting is offered at a special value! (valid until Dec 31, 2020)

Sun Halo Cub 2

The gold in this painting symbolizes the richness of our planet and the power of the sun. Halo-like the sun appears behind this cub.  Perhaps, we should be regarding our connection to nature as more holy.   

The curvy shape behind this little bear represents the ice on which the polar bear is so dependant upon for survival. 

And the baby blue? Perhaps it is about innocence, or water.. But maybe I was providing a little sibling for Polar Bear No. 15 (December 15th). :D

The edges of this wood panel are painted gold. My miniature works on panel are designed to stand..

4” x 6” x 1.5 " acrylic paint on wood panel. 

The edges of this wood panel are painted gold. It is free standing, perfect for a shelf, or table. Signed & unique work completion number. Certificate of Authenticity is supplied.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $195 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

Here's Today's Featured Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar Painting

Everyday from Dec 1- 25th, a new polar bear painting is offered at a special value! (valid until Dec 31, 2020)

GOLD Dec. 18th Bear

Gold represents the royalty of this magnificent marine animal. The metallic gold acrylic paint on much of the artwork continues around the edges.

6” x 4” x 1.5 " acrylic paint on wood panel. 

Artist signature on the front, unique work completion number on the back. Certificate of Authenticity is supplied.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020

Reg. $195 CAD. NOW $130 CAD incl. shipping to Canada + USA

Please contact me

Gold ©Christine Montague ChristineMontague.com Original painting does not have text. Please scroll down.

Here's the Newest Bear in the Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar Special

December 13th Polar Bear. Today’s Special Offer -

Earth Bear 1

This polar bear painting celebrates polar bears and the connection we all have to the earth. This little bear looks quite amused and quite cute with a flower growing on its head, but, I think it would be better is tulips can’t grow in this polar bear’s environment. 

Earth Bear 1 with photoshopped text. ©Christine Montague oil painting ChristineMontague.com

Oil painting on 4” x 4" x 1.5 " wood panel. 

The background colour carries around the edges. Artist initials on the front, artist signature &  unique work completion number on the back. Certificate of Authenticity is supplied.

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020.

$130 CAD incl. shipping in North America  Reg, $195 CAD .

Please contact me

Earth Bear in its natural form. . ©Christine Montague

It's December 12th (already?!!). Here's #12 of the Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar

Bright in the Night Special offer

(valid until December 31, 2020)

Yesterday, I watched a live stream with Polar Bears International. Sunniva Sorby & Hilde Fålun Strøm of Hearts in the Ice were the special guests.

Bright in the Night. ©Christine Montague ChristineMontague.com Please see original below for painting without text.

For the 2nd winter in a row, these remarkable female citizen scientists, are inspiring active engagement around the climate crisis because of their stay at Bamsebu , a tiny cabin located in extreme isolation on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, about 78 degrees north of the Arctic Circle.

Right now, and for the next 3 months, they are experiencing the“Polar Night”, 24 hours a day they must navigate their surroundings in complete darkness. Polar bears are their nearest neighbor and they must always be on their guard.

I hope for their sakes, that a polar bear, bright in the night, is never a close as it is in this artwork!

In summation, this is a black and white portrait of a colourful bear. His textured white fur is bright , and his intelligence is, too.

This is an original acrylic painting on a 4” x 4" x 1.5 " wood panel.

The edges are a medium grey. It is signed, has a unique work completion number on the back , and is supplied with Certificate of Authenticity. It is perfect for standing on a shelf or table. To hang on a wall, simple put two push pins or two small nails and the inside edge will hang from it. .

Special offer until Dec. 31, 2020-

$130 CAD incl. shipping in North America Reg. $195 CAD

Shopping in USD? No problem - Special is $100 USD. Reg. $150 USD

Please Contact me

Some links you may enjoy -

Polar Bears International

Hearts in the Ice

Bright in the Night. ©Christine Montague ChristineMontague.com

Polar Bear #11 Stops By to "Just Say Hello"

Dec. 11. #11 of Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar Special Offer

Just Saying Hello

In this original painting, the polar bear looks up at you. Are you a snowy owl, a Gyrfalcon, or, lucky you, a Tundra Buggy passenger. Whatever or whoever you are, you are just interesting enough for our bear to pause on its solitary journey to say hello.

Just Saying Hello . ©Christine Montague 4” x4” x 1.5” painting. Text not on original art, All paint is metallic. gold, blue & green. ChristineMontague.com

(Please note: what looks like olive green in the photo is actually metallic gold acrylic paint. This painting is shiny. )

Metallic acrylic. 4" x 4" x 1.5" wood panel. Edges are painted gold. Signed, unique work completion number & Certificate of Authenticity. Perfect to sit on a shelf or table. Varnished.

Special Offer 130 CAD incl. shipping in North America.

Valid until Dec. 31, 2020. Reg. $195 CAD ($150 USD)

Please contact me.

Just Saying Hello ©Christine Montague. Without text. Sides are gold. ChristineMontague.com

Baby reveal! Dec. 10th’s Polar Bear Advent Calendar Art Special Offer

Introducing Baby.

December 10th , 2020. The 10th mini polar bear painting in the Polar Bear Art Advent Calendar 2020. Offered at special value.

Baby . ©Christine Montague www.ChristineMontague.com

A beautiful little polar bear cub sits ion the top of the world. Created in in metallic purple, mauve, silver and white acrylic. Purple and silver metallic paint symbolizes the arctic royalty of  this little cub, and that what a treasure he is, too. But, as with any treasure, it is up to us humans to decide whether we will save, protect or squander it. 

The silvery mauve continues around the edges. This original  miniature painting is signed, has a unique work completion number, & comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

4" x 4" x 1.5 " wood panel. 

Special: $130 CAD incl. shipping in North America (or $100 USD) Reg. $195 CAD (or $150 USD)

Valid until Dec. 31, 2020.

Please contact me

From Polar Bear to Pet Portrait - It's All in the Eyes

Although I am an experienced portrait artist, over the past few years, my online presence has evolved to that of polar bear artist. Recent followers do not know about my portrait painting service. And so recently, when out of the blue, I was contacted to paint a portrait of a very lovely Labrador Retriever, it was interesting for me to learn that one of my polar bear paintings had inspired the commission!

Golden Lab Commission. 24” x 24” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas. ©Christine Montague Contact me here, or visit Commission a Portrait.

How does a polar bear painting possibly relate to a portrait of a beloved pet?

It lies in that fact that I regard all my subject matter as portraiture, and my polar bear art is no different. I paint with the theory the eyes are the “mirror to the soul”. Until I get the eyes “right”, until they feel alive to me, I personally don’t connect to the painting. When that magical moment of connection happens, then the painting is on its way!

All artists have their own way of approaching a painting, especially when painting from photographic reference. Some artists apply the paint inch by inch, finishing each section completely before moving on to the next.

I use the more “whole painting” approach in my technique, but I start each session with the eyes and work out from there. As each new layer of paint is added, my focus remains on the eyes, until finally, the portrait comes to life in my imagination.

I have a biology degree, a fine art degree and most of an illustration degree. As a result, I like my portraits to be realistic and anatomically correct, yet emotional, too. But my ability to draw from my imagination, honed from my illustration studies, plays an important part in this process, too. One learns to be a bit of an actor - to feel that emotion and spirit of the subject and to try transfer it to the canvas.

For example, when I was commissioned to paint Dr. Oscar Peterson (Living Arts Centre, Mississauga, ON, Canada), I was honoured and thrilled to paint the jazz great’s portrait, but I had also never seen or met him in person. This was a larger than life portrait and I was working from someone else’s photographs. .

How was I to connect to the subject and make it more than a copy of a photograph?

First, I brought the whole painting to the edge of completion. It was a large painting (larger than life) and a complex one , as in fact it was multi-portraits.. Dr. Peterson’s piano was to be accurately represented. His hands were a portrait in themselves. And his face was clearly selected in the piano top!

So with the face roughed in, I began the final painting of it as I listened to the emotion- filled, heartfelt tribute of music and song that aired on CBC Radio that day. As his teenage daughter spoke lovingly about Oscar Peterson, the father, I did the final paint of his eyes and face.

So, when I began to paint polar bears, I wondered, how to bring the bears alive? How to make them more than a reproduction of a photo I took of a polar bear at the Toronto Zoo?

So for the painting below, Polar Bear Portrait Study 1 (Wistful Bear) ( and a couple of others in this earlier series) I placed my laptop on a stool in front me, as if a portrait model on a chair. One of my polar bear photos was up on the screen. I then created the polar bear portrait as if the bear was seated there in front of me. (wouldn’t that have been fun, although short lived.) Once again, the eyes say it all in this painting. (Read more about this painting here)

Wistful. Polar bear portrait. 12” x 12” x 1.5” oil painting on canvas. ©Christine Montague Contact me here

So when Ottawa’s CTV news reporter and anchor, Christina Succi contacted me to paint a portrait of her beloved dog, I was flattered, but also surprised to learn that it was one of my polar bear paintings that inspired her request. But then I learned which painting and then saw a photo of her dear doggy,

Can you see the connection?

Wistful Bear and the dog portrait it inspired side by side. ©Christine Montague

If you would like to know more about my polar bear art , or info on how to commission a portrait, please feel free to contact me here.

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. 

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.