Looking south down the Igning Creek drainage from the Noatak River in Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park. This picture was painted during a 2 week rafting trip down the Noatak. We were camping this day on a wide expanse of gravel and sand crossed with grizzly and caribou tracks. Most of the folks in our group left to hike up the drainage, leaving myself and one other woman in camp – me (of course) with paints, brushes and paper spread on the gravel bar.
The painting took me all day, interrupted for an hour around noon when mama grizzly and her two cubs wandered up the riverbank. Peggy and I faced them down with bear spray in hand, a couple pans to bang together, and our stern voices telling mama to take her babies somewhere else. She was a good bear, and detoured back into the willows.
You can imagine mama grizzly in the painting, back against the hills, somewhat puzzled that humans has taken over her stretch of the riverbank.
Plein air watercolor by Kim Solga.
15 inches by 22 inches on Arches 140lb cold press paper.
Original painting for sale: $550.
To Purchase: Please contact me for information on availability, cost and shipping to you. I am happy to discuss framing, mat options and frame colors if you would like to receive this painting ready to hang in your home or office, or to send it as a gift.