Nanuk by Kristen Young Art in Calgary

36”x36” acrylic on cradled wood panel She is the calm in the storm. Her name means “animal worthy of respect” which is so perfectly suited to this piece. She’s very nostalgic for me- the background is reminiscent of the colours of my childhood bedroom. 80’s and 90’s kids? You know what I mean. Pastels were all the rage, so I imagine I’m not alone in this nostalgia. I didn’t intend for that to transpire on the painting, but that’s the magic of the process! I had planned on the background being much more muted and white but once I got these colours together I couldn’t bring myself to paint over them. These are chromatic whites and I actually find these tones quite captivating, especially blended together in this way. The contrast between her fine fur and the abstract busy mixes of colour in the background holds my attention. It’s a lot to take in, but somehow not in an overwhelming way. I feel safe and intensely peaceful looking into her eyes. This calm feeling feels so good I actually never want to stop looking at it! Unlike my previous painting of Giuseppe the black bear where it turned out exactly as I imagined, this painting is very different from how I imagined it. It took on a life of its own! I’m excited to share that a portion of this painting’s proceeds will be donated to Polar Bears International to help fund their conservation efforts to save the Polar Bears! I chose this charity because they are the world's leading polar bear conservation group—dedicated to saving polar bears by saving their sea ice habitat. Thank you Patrick J. Endres for the stellar reference photo courtesy of www.AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com