Mater Harmonia

Oil on Canvas, 2022
24 x 30 inches
SOLD

This painting was originally inspired by a dream I had of a sloth bear, an animal I knew nothing about before hand. The dream and the long process of bringing this vision to its final realization inspired me to learn about this incredible species. While the painting has many layers of esoteric meaning which I’ve written about on my Patreon Blog, I want to honor the sloth bear as the star subject.

That is why I donated 10% of the sale of this painting to the International Animal Rescue’s Indian Sloth Bear Program.

Sloth bears are a vulnerable species due to poaching and loss of habitat. They have experienced at least 400 years of exploitation in India, where they were cruelly forced to dance as entertainment. When the bears were about six months old, a red hot iron was used to pierce their muzzles without anesthetic. Through the hole was placed a rope that was then used to tug and coerce the bears into “dancing.” The practice was outlawed in India 1972, and International Animal Rescue partnered with Wildlife SOS to rescue hundreds of dancing bears and care for the survivors in sanctuaries like the Agra Bear Rescue Facility.