Category: grizzly bear

Grizzly Bear painting in progress shot and finished!!

In progress ~ almost done!

Finito!!

Big Mac ~ 30″ x 40″ oil on canvas


I took a very long break on this guy… Sometimes, when I have had a bad relationship with a painting, I need to hide it for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. When I’m struggling, all I see is what is wrong, with no idea how to fix it, and if I put it away I can come back to it later, and usually I am able to see exactly where it needs to go. This is what happened here. And he’s done! Hurray!
Here is the link to my last post where I documented the progress… http://tahirihsblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/in-progress-wildlife-grizzly-bear.html.

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by Categories: atnarko river, Bella Coola Grizzly, grizzly bear, grizzly bear painting, grizzly bear painting demonstration, grizzly bear portrait, spawning salmon Leave a comment

Afternoon Encounter ~ Bella Coola Grizzly

Afternoon Encounter ~
5″ x 7″ oil on 1/8″ hardboard panel
BID NOW on DailyPaintworks
Bidding starts at only $30
A memory of an afternoon swimming with my family at the Atnarko river. The water is this rich green colour, from the algae that on the bottom, but also from the reflections of the lush greenery all around. Bears are abundant in our beautiful valley, and encounters like this are not at all uncommon. Generally the bears are shy and go their own way, but we did have a poor hitchhiker get attacked this summer! He was near a salmon bearing creek, and it is assumed it was a momma with cubs on the other side of the road. 

by Categories: 5" x 7", atnarko river, Bear art, bear painting, Bella Coola Grizzly, Great Bear Rain Forest, grizzly bear, grizzly bear painting Leave a comment

You Know You’re An Artist When…

He Came out of the Fog ~ 6″ x 6″ oil on hardboard panel
Bid in the Daily Paintworks Auction  HERE
Have you ever notice that as an artist, you really do see the world differently than most people?
Almost everything on this list applies to me!
  1. You know what shade of green the kale in your garden is.
  2. There are multicoloured fingerprints on your phone, computer, countertop…
  3. You accidentally clean your brushes in your coffee
  4. You actually do judge a book by its cover
  5. The highlights in your hair are from your palette, not Clairol
  6. When travelling from one place to another you spend the whole time analyzing the color mixtures in the landscape instead of enjoying the scenery
  7. When you get caught staring at people, but it’s not because you’re checking them out, it’s because your trying to figure out the value of the shadow on the side of their face, or the exact shade of purple under their nose…
  8. You long to be alone with your thoughts while others are lonely without much thought.
  9. You go to the store and wonder why everyone is staring, only to come home and realize you had red paint on your face.
  10. You consider things like showers and eating extremely annoying because they keep you from your easel.
by Categories: bear portrait, Bella Coola Grizzly, daily paintworks, grizzly bear, grizzly bear portrait, grizzly in the mist, misty bear 1 Comment
24″ x 36″ oil on canvas ~ Wading Grizzly (title ideas…please?)

I suppose I should have given this one a bit more thought before I posted it, but I can not for the life of me, think of a good title right now. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, please let me know! Lol!
I’m finished!…the paint was still wet when I hung it in the show, but it was definitely a hit with everyone. I was very happy to be finished in time.
This was my first time working with Liquin, using it for what it was meant to do. I tried it once before, on an alla prima painting, and it just frustrated me, so I didn’t try it again for a long time. After a bit of research, I realized that it is meant for fine detail work, to help the paint dry faster. It is what enabled me to actually paint layers of fur, and not have to wait for days for it to dry. Previously, I’ve only used acrylic for wildlife work, but I don’t really like acrylic. Let’s just say, our personalities clash! So my Liquin discovery is a blessing!
Voila!
PS: I also have quite a few new prints available. This one will be available soon,  at a size of 12″ x 18″, so check my shop often. Click HERE to check out my available prints on Etsy.
Cheers!
by Categories: atnarko river, Bella Coola Grizzly, grizzly bear, grizzly bear painting, Liquin, Liquin uses, peaceful painting, swimming grizzly bear, wading grizzly bear, water painting, wildlife art, wildlife painting 1 Comment

Sneak Preview of new Grizzly Bear painting and demo

Picture of me and my painting for the local paper

Not finished yet!!
So…I’m having a one-man show on April 20th. I’m pretty excited, but do I ever have a lot of painting to do! This is number two in the grizzly bear series…am I doing a series? Hmmm…Maybe I will…I’ve been enjoying painting these magnificent creatures. 
The first photo is one that was taken by the local paper to advertise my show, and the following two show the painting in progress. As you can see, I toned the canvas first with acrylic paint in a thin was of yellow ochre. The painting will eventually have a sunset look so I thought the yellow would work. I actually started doing the painting in acrylic, but got frustrated with the colors drying darker than I mixed them, so I switched to oils, and it’s actually working out fine. It makes for softer edges, brighter colors and it’s just easier for me to control, all the way around.
Next, I blocked in all of the darks. I forgot to take a picture, though. I got a bit carried away and in “the zone”…you know, that place where time and everything else disappears?
The second picture, I’ve started adding color, blocking in the lights in the water, and trying to work out the reflection. I’m finding that to be the hardest part. 
So, maybe a day or two left. I want to fix the perspective on the bear’s body, finish the water, fix up the fur….I’ll keep ya’ posted 🙂

by Categories: atnarko river, Bella Coola, Bella Coola Grizzly, grizzly bear, grizzly bear painting, grizzly bear portrait, oil painting blog, swimming grizzly bear 1 Comment

Grizzly Bear portrait and painting demonstration


Too Close and Very Afraid ~ 16″ x 20″ oil on canvas
$1200.00

It’s bear season once again! They’ll soon be lumbering down the mountain from their chilly dens to eat the newly blossoming skunk cabbage that is finally starting to bloom. I have yet to see one awake this year, but the sunshine and the promise of a beautiful summer filled with our exotic wildlife inspired me to paint this guy. Here’s your chance to have your very own “too close for comfort” encounter with one of the world’s most impressive creatures!

by Categories: bear painting, Bella Coola Grizzly, gofficart.com, grizzly bear, grizzly bear painting, grizzly bear portrait, grizzly boar, tahirih goffic art, tahirih goffic painting, wildlife art, wildlife painting 8 Comments

Going Fishing

~Going Fishing~  6″x6″ oil on Raymar panel  $150.00
Everybody around here is going fishing lately, and the river is thick with fish once again. I hear the Sockeye run is better than it’s been in 40 years…unless that’s just a “fish story”, lol!
 Here’s a little guy I whipped off a while ago, who’s taking advantage of the surplus…I’ll sell him to you in a gorgeous plein aire frame like the ones above for an extra $55…
Prints are available in my etsy shop…here

by Categories: grizzly bear, grizzly bear portrait, wildlife art, wildlife paintings 1 Comment

The Interruption

The Interruption  16″ x 20″ oil on panel
Well, I’ve finally posted something! It’s been a really long time, and I’ve missed you:)  I am now volunteering five days a week, to keep our local gallery open. I use it for my studio, and I run a little cafe, so if you’re in the area, please stop by for an organic, free trade, delicious espresso drink and biscotti.  Needless to say, I’m pretty busy.  I have been painting up a storm, but my time has been filled with commissions and failures.  Yup, there are definitely a few I’m too embarrassed to show you.  It seems like whenever I finish a really good one, it takes me a while to get my legs back under me so to speak. I guess I’m trying to live up to it, and the pressure is too great, so I screw up. Or something like that…anyways…I’m okay with this one, sort of.   I’m not sure if I like it, but I’ve learned that I have to let go, and let people decide for themselves before I use it for a frisbee.  
I did something this time that I hardly ever do, and totally messed with the lighting. I originally took the reference photo for this painting in the bright sunlight, it was filtering through the trees from the left, but I really wanted it to tell a story, so I changed the scene to night, and added the campfire.
Well, I hope to be back and posting more often now that my commissions are finished. Hopefully I work through this “sucky period”…The next one is coming along just smashingly, so cross your fingers for me that I don’t screw it up!
I also want to give a great big huge thank you to Kirsty over at KirstyGirl for featuring my blog on her blog. She is a wonderfully energetic and creative blogger, with a heart of gold, and I enjoy each and every one of her posts, along with her gorgeous photographs, so go check her out.

Cheers!
by Categories: b.c. art, bella coola art, bella coola artist, grizzly bear, grizzly bear portrait, oil painting, west coast art, wildlife art 9 Comments