Evolution of the Brown Bear

Back in the day, there was a strong demand for my bear paintings. I painted so many that I reached a level of burnout as I churned out one after another. This was an 8x10" study of a Coastal Brown Bear. It was'nt the worst bear I ever painted, but not quite up to par. I showed it around at a few shows, no interest, and then sent it to a gallery in Fairbanks.

Eventually they sent it back when it did not sell. I figured that I could improve upon it. That is the newer version that you see in the photo above. I toned down the grass and bear with a few glazes, and I refined the bear's facial features. Then I sent it to Homer.
It still did'nt sell. What gives? This is not a bad painting.

When I got the painting back a few days ago, I decided to give it another makeover. More refinements on the bear's head, and I raised it's shoulder hump a little. This photo does not do the painting justice. It rivals any of the small bear paintings that I have done. No more alterations. It's a classic bear study by my standards.

A detail of the bear's head. The real painting actually looks pretty good to me. Much better than the photo indicates.
Right now I'm working on a an 11x14" Brown Bear. We'll see how the new one turns out.