Spirit Bear Drawing

September 8, 2017 by still a dreamer

It was my plan to post a drawing I did of two whales. I went through my recent sketchbooks, and they seemed to have swam away. But what kept appealing to me was this pen and ink sketch I did of a spirit bear.

Spirit bears are snow white bears, not albinos, that live only in a specific area of Canada, the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the largest unspoiled temperate rainforests on earth. This is a partly protected area in the islands and coastal areas of British Columbia. They are actually a rare subspecies of the American black bear known as a Kermode bear, most of whom have dark coats. The double recessive gene for the white coat must be carried by both parents in order to produce the white spirit, or ghost, bear. They are looked on as sacred by the indigenous tribes of the area, and have become symbolic of these people’s fight against proposed desecration of the rainforest by those wishing to build a pipeline there. It is unclear how many spirit bears there actually are, but estimates run from 150 to 200.

Learn more about the Spirit Bear.

Posted in Animals, Art, Nature, Wildlife | Tagged British Columbia, Drawing, pen and ink sketch, sketches, Spirit Bear | 24 Comments

24 Responses

on September 8, 2017 at 6:39 pm Lavinia Ross

A beautiful sketch, Jeanne! And thank you for providing the background on this magnificent animal.

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- on September 9, 2017 at 1:54 pm still a dreamer
  
  Thanks, Lavinia. They are just beautiful, and even more unique when you see photos of them with their usually nearly black mothers and siblings.
  
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on September 8, 2017 at 7:41 pm Kitty

You are so gifted! I love this!

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- on September 9, 2017 at 1:55 pm still a dreamer
  
  Thank you, Kitty. Your appreciating it inspires me to draw more. 🙂
  
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on September 9, 2017 at 4:39 pm KathrinS

Wow, thanks for sharing this info, how interesting. I didn’t know about these Spirit Bears. Love the sketch, too.

Kathrin — http://mycupofenglishtea.wordpress.com

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- on September 10, 2017 at 10:20 am still a dreamer
  
  Hi Kathryn, Thanks for the good words and for stopping by. There are so many wonderful and fascinating creatures on this planet; I could write forever. 🙂
  
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  - on September 10, 2017 at 10:29 am KathrinS
    
    Absolutely!!
    
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on September 10, 2017 at 10:35 am Andrea Stephenson

It’s a beautiful sketch Jeanne and I hadn’t heard of these spirit bears either, I’m fascinated to learn about them.

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- on September 10, 2017 at 10:45 am still a dreamer
  
  Thanks, Andrea. Here’s a link from BC, Canada, all about them, if interested. http://bcspiritbear.com/spirit-bear-facts/ I suspect I should add that to the post, eh? 😀
  
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  - on September 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm Andrea Stephenson
    
    Fascinating Jeanne, thank you 🙂
    
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    - on September 11, 2017 at 3:56 pm still a dreamer
      
      My pleasure, of course.
      
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on September 14, 2017 at 12:28 pm loshame

I like your post 😊.

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- on October 14, 2017 at 4:08 pm still a dreamer
  
  Thank you and for stopping by. 🙂
  
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  - on October 14, 2017 at 4:39 pm loshame
    
    Take a look on my last post and follow me if you like it 😀.
    
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    - on October 17, 2017 at 6:43 pm still a dreamer
      
      I’ll be happy to stop by from time to time!
      
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      - on October 17, 2017 at 6:48 pm loshame
        
        😉
        
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on April 2, 2018 at 11:41 pm Cynthia Reyes

Girl, you are so talented! Wonderful work.

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- on April 3, 2018 at 9:52 am still a dreamer
  
  Merci! And you know what happens when people tell me they like my work? I actually feel like picking up my pencil/pen and drawing! Funny how that works …
  
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  - on April 3, 2018 at 9:56 am Cynthia Reyes
    
    Get cracking, young lady artist!
    
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    - on April 3, 2018 at 10:00 am still a dreamer
      
      Yes, Ma’am!!! (That comes with a salute. 🙂 )
      
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      - on April 3, 2018 at 10:01 am Cynthia Reyes
        
        I shall float around on cloud 9, as no-one’s ever saluted me before.
        
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      - on April 3, 2018 at 1:37 pm still a dreamer
        
        Always a first time for everything! 😀
        
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on November 29, 2018 at 11:34 am equipsblog

Lovely sketch and I was pleased to find out about Spirit Bears.

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- on November 29, 2018 at 11:57 am still a dreamer
  
  Thanks – I appreciate it! It’s an amazing world out there. 🙂
  
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