The Bear of Much Dignity

The Bear of Much Dignity | 8 by 6 Original Linocut Print, hand-carved and printed
Art Oracle Emily | artoracleemily.com

A black bear sits square to the viewer, front paws tucked neat at his feet, meeting your eye with the calm of someone who has nothing to prove. An oval wreath of leaves encircles him like a medallion or a portrait frame, elevating a wild animal to the formality of a commissioned likeness. Carved by hand, fine white lines rake through the black to give his chest and forelegs their fur, each stroke pulled deliberately from the block. Solemn, stately, and faintly amused by the whole arrangement, The Bear of Much Dignity holds his pose and lets you decide how long to look.