Greenwich Workshop, Bonnie Marris

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Tsunami by Bonnie Marris
1,200 pounds of Ursus arctos horribilis churns an Alaskan river into a chilling eruption of spray and white foam. “It is a thrilling thing to watch a grizzly fishing ― something like watching a front-end loader in the water,” says Bonnie Marris, “but, when a bear senses an incursion on its fishing spot, the scene becomes electrifying! Command of a prime fishing location is paramount. A grizzly in control of one will protect it ferociously, while other bears are always seeking out a less-dominant bear they can remove.” Tsunami is the quintessential image of North American brown bear, capturing the concentrated power of this great animal unleashed. One of the painting’s hallmarks: whereever you stand in a room, the grizzly always appears to be charging at you. Unveiled at the Autry Center’s 2012 Masters of the American West, this magnificent art ran neck and neck with another of Marris’ works, Social Viewpoints, in the voting for the David P. Usher Patron’s Choice Award. Catch this wave as one of the select 25 that can own it as an over-sized, MasterWork™ canvas at 30" x 40." If you love it but need one for a slightly smaller space, there is a regular-sized canvas edition at 28" x 21." This is certainly one of the most exciting works of art to own from this award-winning artist and a dazzling statement of life in the wild. Sizing and Pricing: MasterWork™ Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Giclée Canvas: limited to 25 s/n. 40"w x 30"h (unstretched). $975 Greenwich Workshop Fine Art Giclée Canvas: limited to 75 s/n. 28"w x 21"h. $545

About Bonnie Marris

Bonnie Marris has taken an unusual path into art; she developed her talent by portraying animals “from the inside out.” While she was a student at Michigan State University, Bonnie illustrated several major books. One volume she worked on was a leading expert’s mammalogy text that contained several hundred drawings and detail studies. This massive project attracted the attention of noted zoologist George Schaller, who invited Bonnie to prepare the art for posters that would support his worldwide rare animal relief programs. Beyond academic training and emotional involvement, art requires another element for which there is no substitute: experience. Each year, Bonnie makes two major trips, and countless smaller ones, to observe and learn about the wildlife she loves. In 1980, one such voyage took her to Alaska, where she lived in the wilderness for six months. She recounts, “To get into a natural environment and see the animals on their own terms is as important as knowing the animals themselves. For instance, gray wolves on the tundra—the vast, vast tundra with the wind and other forces of nature at their most extreme—that’s what makes them what they are. To stand not far from a grizzly that is so overpowering, so beautiful and so large . . . to watch it pull up a small tree with a swipe of its paw and just a few minutes later see it delicately picking blueberries with its black lips. . . Alaska changed me; it gave me the biggest incentive to paint and increased my interest in the predators: the cats, bears, coyotes, wolves and foxes. They exist on so many levels. Their moods show in their eyes and we can learn so much from them.”