Bear on Fire
Original Oil Painting on Paper of a brown bear by Geoffrey C. Smith, 2024
36"w x 24"h
A brown bear moves across scorched earth, its form glowing with heat and tension. The background pulses with reds, oranges, and molten gold - pained in thick palette knife strokes that feel more like flame than landscape. This is not a peaceful scene. It's a portrait of survival.
Bear in Fire is part of my World on Fire series, which reflects the collision between strength and vulnerability in a rapidly warming world. Bears are powerful, adaptable, and deeply tied to seasonal rhythms - but even they are feeling the pressure. Drying berry crops, shifting salmon runs, rising temperatures. Everything is changing.
This bear was painted mid-stride - muscular, grounded, and alert. He isn't charging or retreating. He simply moves forward through a landscape that no longer offers the same shelter or certainty. That posture reflects what this series is about: survival under strain. A presence caught in the heat of a world it didn't create and cannot escape.
World on Fire Solo Exhibit 2025
Shipping
Please Note: Shipping for paintings requires custom handling and is calculated separately post-purchase. Additionally, please note that this piece is only available to ship from Alaska during the summer months. To receive a personalized delivery quote before ordering or for more information on shipping availability, please contact the gallery directly at (772) 283-8336.