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Mastrius 100 Days of Summer,  Aug. 2022

How this series came to be

The theme of Mastrius’s first ever online art show and sale is “100 days of summer”.  So, I thought, what do I think of when I think of summer. Spending time with the kids. Taking kids hiking in the parks. Seeing all the baby animals. All the amazing wildflowers in Waterton. Cooling off in a waterfall. Taking the kids to the lake with floaty toys. Berry picking

My next thought was how to create works of art that reflected all these things?  I have been wanting to paint bears, so I went through my years of reference photos and collected all my bear shots into one place. It was such a joy going through them and remembering all the good times had. I lost a few hours down that “rabbit hole” but it was worth it. All those memories go into the creation and composition of each piece.

Where You Lead Since the kids were tiny, we have been taking them on hikes (short ones) all through Banff, Kananaskis, Drumheller, Waterton and many places through BC. It was sometimes a struggle to get them going in the morning, but they always had a fabulous time and slept extra well afterward. Myself or my husband would take the lead and they would each follow in line. We stopped often when we found something interesting like a mushroom or a beautiful flower. We carried a field guide so we could identify and learn about each new find. Such good times! 

This painting was from a reference taken after a long day of hiking in Waterton. We spotted this Mum and baby black bear. Mum was leading him to a better area to find food. Along the way she would stop and sample some of the flowers. Baby bear would come and see what the fuss was about. Try a few for himself. Learning as they went what plants are good to eat.

Who’s the Boss Those of us who have more than one child will know that summers with all the kids home can mean a lot of parenting, otherwise known as refereeing and or laying down the law. Conflict is a healthy part of learning for our littles and the more siblings the more conflict.

The reference for this painting was also taken in Waterton. A black bear Mom this time with two little babies. I composed them this way because it tells a story in more than a couple of ways. What do you see? I see a little one with tired feet asking, “How much further?” Or perhaps the two were squabbling and just having Mom turn around and give a look was all it took for them to stop. “Are you two fighting again?” “No Mama.”

Chilling Out   So many fabulous hikes end at a waterfall! On a hot day of hiking the thought of cooling off at a waterfall is like heaven on earth. So many times, when I was little, I would jump right in and cool off. In the Rocky Mountains the water is a LOT colder, so our kids don’t get right in the water, but they did love to play in the water below.

Well, we are not the only ones who love getting cooled off in the hot summer. This painting is inspired by some references I got of a grizzly bear in captivity. This bear was having SUCH a wonderful time letting a spout of water blast him with coolness. The water was running continuously for him, and he changed positions many times making sure he got all his two thousand parts. He even stopped a few times and shook spraying all the people who had gathered to watch this delightful scene.

Pool Party Every summer we would buy floaty toys for the kids and take them to a lake or the creek to play in the water and just plain have fun. The kids would play for hours. There’d be happy squeals and laughter all day long. Kids being kids. I miss those days.

The reference for this painting was very difficult to find since it was from before digital cameras, so I ended up having to piece together some images of bears from different scenes to rebuild this memorable moment. This was from before my husband, and I had kids. We were exploring Waterton when we came upon a bear who was in the middle of a small pond. He was splashing about and having a grand old time playing with his log. He would toss it around and pounce on it just as a child would with his floaty toy in a lake. There’s no way that you could call this anything other than play. Just a full-grown bear having fun in the sun. What a treat it was for us and the at least 100 others who stopped and completely grid locked the road for at least 30 minutes! That was one special log and a lasting memory for my husband and I.

Beary-licious Berry picking is always a fun part of summer. Whether you are picking wild berries on a hike or are at a commercially run berry farm you will have delicious memories to take home with you. One in the basket, two in your mouth! Or was it the other way around?

This painting is inspired by a reference I took of a Bear we saw in Jasper. She was on a berry picking adventure with her two tiny cubs. They kept out of sight mostly but stayed very close to Mum too. When she saw us, she warned them and they ran straight up a nearby tree. Mum wasn’t scared though and carried on with her berry gathering. She needed all the strength she could to raise her two little ones. You’ll notice her one ear is turned backwards so she can hear what those two cubs were up to.

***All five paintings are painted with professional acrylics on 10"x10"x1.5" gallery wrapped canvas. Each one is Just $250CAD pls shipping. As a bonus, I have made a one of a kind matching mini painting to go with each.  Don't miss the opening night August 26th at 6pm! Paintings tend to sell super quick so pop on and grab the ones you want. 

Disclaimer: I wanted to mention that when I have had these opportunities to photograph bears in the wild it has always been with a VERY long lens at a respectful distance.  We do not bait animals for photographs.  We also have never stayed until the bear was uncomfortable or nervous. We would never want to upset or endanger these incredible creatures.