Testing the Waters

Wildlife artist Bonnie Marris is exuberant about her favorite subjects: wolves, horses and bears but just about any wildlife subject portrayed with their young is the most exciting of all. Marris took what became, for her, an historic research trip to Yellowstone National Park because she was lucky enough to witness an unusual number of bear and their young. Stationed near one of the only fast-running rivers in the Park, Marris observed the mother bring her babies down to see water for the first time. A ferocious and dangerous mammal, this mother bear treated her cubs with gentle patience and care.