Lovely Lefty...

Lefty is one of my favourite bears at Katmai National Park - after painting him, it's time to make him out of fabric!  He's a bit of extra work due to the amount of scarring he has, plus he only has one ear, the other being just a nub.

This one has a battery operated noise maker in his foot, so he kind of roars.  I have to find out if I can send it through the post internationally with this insert due to the battery - if not, then poor Lefty will have to have a bit of surgery!

 

Lefty - Complete...

Just finished this painting - such fun to do!  Now I am waiting to see the real Lefty show up at Brooks Falls on the Explore.org cams!

Watercolour on paper - will be in my Etsy shop tomorrow.

Lefty - A Most Battered Bear...

This is a painting I have wanted to get on with since the beginning of lockdown but have had neither the time or the motivation until now.  It is of bear 775 Lefty on Brooks Falls, Katmai, Alaska.  I really like this bear - he is battered, covered in scars, missing most of one ear (hence the name) and used to thrash about in the water trying to catch fish, crazed with hunger.  Over the past few years he has learned to be patient and fish from the top of the falls and has become highly proficient at it - I cannot keep up with counting the number of fish he catches and eats in one session!

Interestingly, whilst I knew he has many battle scars, with the close studying of my reference photos I am discovering more and more doinks and dents in his skin - he's led a hard life.

With the Explore.org cams due to be switched on any day now, I can't wait to see this old bear's return!