Nicholle Wersland- Blue Bear

Blue Bear
(Original Art)
Mixed Media on Canvas  ( Leaves and Acrylic Paint)
2024
Canvas 36" x 48"
Framed in Gallery Archival Frame and Glass 

Composed of real, fallen leaves collected from the Blue Ridge Mountains, this work transforms remnants of the forest floor into a quiet portrait of presence and resilience. Each leaf is carefully layered to build form, texture, and depth, allowing the natural variations of color and decay to shape the figure organically rather than through paint alone.

The bear emerges as both subject and symbol, an embodiment of strength, watchfulness, and stillness within the wilderness. Set against a vivid blue ground, the earthy tones of the leaves create a striking contrast, emphasizing the tension between the natural world and the act of preservation. What was once fleeting and seasonal is held in a moment of permanence.

This piece invites viewers to slow down and consider the beauty of impermanence, the passage of time, and the quiet power found in nature’s discarded elements. It is both a tribute to the Blue Ridge landscape and a meditation on how memory, material, and place can coexist within a single form.

The piece is incased in Gallery quality frame and archival glass to protect the leaves, please see images. 

50% of the proceeds from this piece will be donated to the International Elephant Foundation to support their conservation efforts. To learn more about their work please visit https://elephantconservation.org/projects/