About this Product
Living with the Great Bear
8X10 inch painting on 1/2 inch thick canvas
Edges are painted black, wire hanger is mounted to the back, painting is ready to hang, no frame included
In the west, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and far out onto the plains people are learning to live with grizzlies. The process is not easy but it seems to be the wave of the future. Grizzlies roam in small towns and on farms and are seen in places they have not been for a hundred years. Children are not safe in places where they used to roam freely, granary bins are raided and broken into, livestock is killed. Ranchers are learning expensive ways to protect livestock, women are learning to keep their children safe, bear alerts are being started in towns. High fences surround some playgrounds. Electric fences surround huge pastures and bee keepers hives. It takes a lot of work to protect property around bears who only want something easy to eat.
That is what this painting is about, how the west is changing to accept new ideas and new ways of living with the Great Bear.
DonnaRidgwayArt
Meet the Maker
DonnaRidgwayArt
Donna Ridgway grew up in Montana near a little town called Dupuyer. Her life was filled with animals and caring for the land.
She and her husband, Robert are now retired and spend their time camping, four wheeling, taking photos of wildlife, creating art and caring for their home. Her studio is in the back yard, and she spends a lot of time there, just creating art and letting ideas come to life.
Donna is a member of the Western Heritage Artists and participates in their annual show at Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana. You can see her there at the Heritage Inn, usually in room 105. She's also a member of Montana Made products, and Cowgirl Artists of America.
More of her original paintings can be seen at Equis Art Gallery in Red Hook, New York. Choteau Arts in Choteau, Montana. Paris Gibson Museum, in Great Falls, Montana
She's a self taught artist who's drawn and painted her entire life.
How it’s Made
In this painting, I added texture paste to stars and moon and bear to give them a bit of a raised surface. Then I laid down some colors in random strokes. This painting has a textural feel to it's surface and when you look closely, you can see the marks of hidden layers. Sometimes as a painting progresses, I hide the bottom layers, sometimes they show through as texture and sometimes you can see bits of the colors and shapes. In this picture, the layers show up as texture.
Shop Policies
I create fine art paintings that are made from artist grade materials. I love Golden and Liquitex paints. My paintings are mostly on stretched canvas, sometimes on wooden panels.
Other items I make might not be from archival materials, such as faces made from toilet paper rolls! But the products are made with care and if treated as art, they will last a very long time.
I do not do commissioned work.
Returns are possible if you are unhappy with your product. Let me know within three days of receipt of the item, all return shipping is paid by you, the purchaser. Item must be returned in it's original condition, if the product is damaged, there will be no refund. Item must be returned within 7 days of letting me know you are unhappy or there will be no refund.
I ship USPS using recycled materials. Your painting will arrive sandwiched in cardboard, I like to reuse materials, hoping it helps our earth a bit. Other items will be shipped in boxes according to their size.
