In 2007 I was asked to paint an ornamnet for the Christmas Tree that would stand in the Blue Room of the Whitehouse. The theme was our National Parks. The ornament needed to represent Katmai National Park and Preserve and what the park is most known for. Katmai is famous for it's Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and Brooks Camp bear viewing area. Since it was a Chrismas ornament I was painting, I decided to go with the bears.
The ornament would be one of about 350 on a very large tree so I wanted it to be beautiful from any angle. I used the pattern of the falls stepping down to carry seamlessly around the ball and the swirling foamy water filled with jumping fish to come to a spiral at the bottom of the ball. The scenes I chose to incorporate into the design are of a male bear at the top of the falls and a female with two cubs at the bottom. The males usually fish right at the falls and it's common to see a mother with cubs waiting at a safe distance downstream for a fish wounded at the falls to come floating by. I tried to find a balance between Christmas ornament and representational painting. I used 22 ct. gold leaf for the highlights and words.
The ornaments traveled around on display at various parks for a time and then become part of the National Archives. All artists were invited to attend a gala at the Whitehouse. I really enjoyed the design process and it was an honor to be chosen for the project.
