The Bear In Me - Original Art

Storyteller + Artwork: Jaylene Cardinal + Dakota Ward 

The Bear in Me, by artist Jaylene Cardinal is the original artwork that inspired the 'Spirit of Winter' projected animation.   

Jaylene and Dakota: “It is our desire to share our perspective through our cultural conditioning to people from all walks of life and conditioning. A message of connectedness, and how people are similar to animals in certain manners and situations. This specific story shows how during the winter months the bear bunkers down and follows his instincts to survive, much like the Cree and all natives to all land from those times. Our pagan roots show us how people would use the time of winter to survive and tell stories, to conserve food and gather when mother earth is plentiful. And most of all to be grateful.” 

The story explores the relationships between animals, working together and the importance of sharing stories and traditions. We wrote our story in a way that it can explain the hibernation process of a bear, and the Cree point of view on the winter solstice all at once. The Cree would take the wintertime to tell stories and hold ceremonies for healing and lifting spirits. They took the time to prep for summer and pick medicines when in the fall. This is the time our people rest and replenish our spirit.   

Artwork Details: 

A 55"x 38” wood canvas - using mixed mediums an abstract background using resin, a cave-like texture using drywall compound within the cave and a painting of a woodland bear cozy in its hibernation process having a conversation with the cardinal sitting on a root in front of a hole showing the sun setting with a winter landscape along with the canvas bordered in barriers and branches.