For me, working on original plates and mylars is a welcome change in my routine. The whole creative process is so different from producing a painting that is ultimately reproduced photomechanically.

I see the original print as a one color design (many other artists, however, do work in more than one color) that should be both powerful and contemporary at the same time. Unlike my oil and acrylic paintings, which normally emerge from an incident in the field, the creation of an original print will more often than not emanate from a pure abstract design concept. My training in art led me into abstract design during the early part of my career, and, although the images I produce now are representational, it is this experience that I draw upon when producing original prints.

"Grizzly" was made from an acrylic and graphite drawing on mylar which was transferred onto an aluminum plate. As with an image drawn straight onto a plate, the final printed image is a reverse of the image on the mylar. For this reason it is important that the expression (in this case on the grizzly) works as a mirror image. to help me achieve this, I constantly look at my drawing in a mirror so that I'm able to see how the image will work in reverse.

The design of "Grizzly" is a simple one - a pyramid composition with the bear standing, demonstrating its power. I have deliberately left the bottom half of the piece quite solid with just a hint of the claws. By doing this and creating a nondescript textured background, the viewer's eye will focus on the head. So that the print would not be too stark and contrasty, I chose to have it printed in sepia instead of black, which, without hand coloring, provides a feeling of the bear's color.

- John Seerey-Lester