Original hand-illustrated engraving of a grizzly bear’s intense stare.

There are certain animals who have an almost ancestral power, and not just because of their size, speed or strength. It is something more innate, deep… their own knowing of what they are, what they can be. Like a warrior who has been through the gauntlet, is aware of their capacity to be dangerous — and also doesn’t have to prove it at every turn.

That nuanced, discerning power stops you in your tracks.

This style of engraving called scratchboard has been around since the 1800s. A panel of Masonite (like compressed wood, very durable) is covered with white clay and then a thin layer of black ink on top. I use a small Xacto blade or mini fiberglass brush to carve into the black ink, exposing variable degrees of the white clay beneath. Pieces are very detailed and they can last forever.