It's always fun to approach a subject that I haven't painted for awhile. First I have to sort through hundreds, sometimes thousands, of slides for bears and poses and backgrounds that might work. Gradually, as I sketch different ideas, I can see some things work and others don't work as well. In "Fresh Air", I had to find a bear (or actually parts of several bears) and then work out a good landscape that worked with the pose I wanted. Early on, I decided I wanted him silhouetted against a pearlescent sky. I am very into the "light-dark-light" concept right now, and he seemed to like it too. I suppose I always end up feeling very up-close and personal with the animals I paint. It's as though the bear tells me when he is finished. He controls the flow, not me. - Nancy Glazier