Swimming Bear

Gouache painting with embroidery and text on BFK Rives paper. This image depicts a grizzly bear swimming across a stream. The location is a place where two streams converge making for strong and dangerous currents. The stitching depicts symbols of protection...to enable safe crossing for the bear. The text describes this story of the swimming bear and is barely legible, yet introduces another layer of complexity that mimics the waves of the stream. Colors include various shades of browns, reds, and watery blues with bright orange-red accents in the stitching.