Peek-a-Boo Bear

On the way to the cabin I noticed something lumbering across the highway up ahead. When I realized it was a bear I was excited, but then remembered that my "good" camera was packed inside a bag in the back. I only had my iphone to capture what was sure to be a fleeting scene. The bear wandered off into the brush next to the road. Hubby asked if we should turn around and I said OK, thinking the moment was lost. When we finally were able to turn around safely, the bear crossed back to the OTHER side of the road (the west side), which was almost magic because the sun was starting to retreat behind the trees, making for a beautiful backlit sight! And the bear was "posing" for me - he'd climb up the tree, look at me, climb down, look at me...I took at least a dozen photos, and this painting was done in my studio from those references.