Available Originals
Click images to enlarge
Some of the original paintings on this page are available exclusively at certain galleries. You should contact those galleries for further information. If you are interested in any of the other originals you can either contact the consultant at the gallery where you've seen Robert's work, or get in touch with us for more information on the painting.
The Vision, 2010
28" X 24" Oil on Canvas
The inspiration for this paining came after I viewed some paintings by Hiro Yokose in New York. His work seems ephemeral and mysterious to me, with suggestions of swirling clouds and misty visions, usually with a central defining light source that we try to look past for some meaning. My protagonist here looks even more skyward and in contrast to the fleeting atmosphere is firmly grounded to the earth.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries SOLD
The Clearing, 2011
42" X 30" Oil on Canvas
Here we discover a group of bears emerging from the woodland and stopped by a body of water. The inspiration for this painting came from and experience I had confronting a coyote under similar circumstances. Our eyes lock and we look at the other from a safe place. Is the other aware that they are being observed or also looking inward and observing themselves being observed? Is this what the animals teach us? Does it matter?
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries
The Arrival, 2011
24" X 44" Oil on Canvas
This painting depicts a group of bears on the seashore looking out to the horizon. As viewers we are not sure what they are looking at but I wanted to give the piece an air of expectancy and anticipation.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries
The Dream, 2011
30" X 56" Oil on Canvas
Recently I have embarked on a series of paintings that explore the idea of scale and gigantism. I find the questions that arise in creating the images to be interesting and more complex than might be imagined. Giants have shown up in mythology, folklore and modern literature as either quite bad beings or as "gentle giants". Same goes for small beings, although to a lesser extent. Either way they are generally depicted as being of a different nature. We also use the term "giant" to refer to creatures that excel in some way. Issac Newton stated that he "....stood on the shoulders of giants" as he developed his theories. Pictorially I realized that when combining different sized bears I was not always sure whether I was depicting normal sized bears with dwarf sized bears or normal sized bears with giant bears. This aspect I have decided to exploit so that we, as viewers are also unsure. This painting depicts a bear apparently waking up but I leave it to the viewer to decide who is having the dream.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries
The Discord of Paris, 2011
40" X 42" Oil on Canvas
In the story of the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology, Paris is forced to arbitrate concerning the beauty of three goddesses. Eris, the goddess of strife who was excluded from the line-up, throws down the golden apple of discourse upon which is inscribed the word Kallisti, meaning beautiful. The symbol has become a mainstay of the modern religion Discordianism. The apple also represents humanity's inability to understand the world beyond the necessity of self-preservation. In my painting I have attempted to portray the bear contemplating his earthly existence as his doppelganger hovers in the background representing the strife that Paris experienced in his choosing.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries
Provenance, 2011
24" X 18" Oil on Canvas
The inspiration for this painting came from an image by Yoko Ono that depicted a beam of light coming from the sky. The bear and the setting are mine. The idea of the bear looking up is a symbol I use in many of my paintings and is found in many other images over the centuries. It symbolizes our search for our origins— hence the title of this piece.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries
The Visitor, 2011
30" X 24" Oil on Canvas
Recently I have embarked on a series of paintings that explore the idea of scale and gigantism. I find the questions that arise in creating the images to be interesting and more complex than might be imagined. Giants have shown up in mythology, folklore and modern literature as either quite bad beings or as "gentle giants". Same goes for small beings, although to a lesser extent. Either way they are generally depicted as being of a different nature. We also use the term "giant" to refer to creatures that excel in some way.Either way they are generally depicted as being of a different nature. Pictorially I realized that when combining different sized bears I was not always sure whether I was depicting normal sized bears with dwarf sized bears or normal sized bears with giant bears. This aspect I have decided to exploit so that we, as viewers are also unsure. This painting show 3 adult bears engaging another adult bear of a different size. Whether they look for advice or have apprehension in this situation is for the viewer to decide.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries SOLD
Apotheosis, 2011
20" X 30" Oil on Canvas
The idea that a being can find a path to a divine level is what caused me to create this painting. My comment in engaging a bear with the monk is not intended to be cynical or satirical. It is to consider and question our place in a world that can be both clear and confusing at the same time.
— Robert Bissell
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries SOLD
Hero #6 Ursus, 2011
72" X 48" Oil on Canvas
The images in the series I call Heroes represent a different direction for my work. In these large museum like paintings, I have removed the landscape setting I normally put the animals in. Instead they are portrayed against greyish, abstract backgrounds that have an infinite and undefineable quality. Against this we can focus on the animal more closely as totem — creatures that can act as our guides and provide reflection for us as humans.
— Robert Bissell June 2011
Contact the Studio for more information or call 415.905.0107
Hero #4 Lepus, 2011
42" X 60" Oil on Canvas
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Hero #5 Pan, 2011
72" X 48" Oil on Canvas
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Immersion, 2011
36" X 30" Oil on Canvas
Again, I am featuring animals that look skyward. These bears seem immersed in something greater than themselves and serve as a reminder to us all of the world we live in that is so much greater than the ground we stand on.
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The Enchantment, 2011
58" X 40" Oil on Canvas
To those of you who know my work, animals with butterflies surrounding them is a recurrent theme in my imagery. Due to the overwhelming interest I received for this particular painting, I have decided to create a Fine Art Print Edition, so that as many people as possible can enjoy the image. The setting for his painting was based on Claude Monet’s Woman with a Parasol, which which shows Madame Monet with her son Jean, atop a hill on a blustery day. I found the life and light in this painting the best inspiration for my own version. The bears here look skyward, joined by hundreds of swirling butterflies, enticing all of us to share in an uplifting and wondrous moment.
Limited edition prints available.
Contact the Studio for more information or call 415.905.0107 SOLD
The Rapprochement, 2011
36" X 48" Oil on Canvas
My intention here was to create the idea of the adolescent coming around (happily) to the elders point of view. My own experience was, perhaps, better described as capitulation rather than rapprochement when it came to resolving issue with my elders!
Available exclusively through Exclusive Collections Gallery SOLD
The Falls, 2011
36" X 28" Oil on Canvas
The idea of standing under a gentle waterfall on a hot summer day is a simple pleasure we all have enjoyed at some point in our lives. For these bears it is the same.
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The North Light, 2010
24" X 32" Oil on Canvas
Paintings originate from odd places sometimes. This piece was conceived at The Salt Lake City airport several years ago. There was a man sitting like this on the floor against a window. He seemed somewhat challenging and appeared to me as a barrier or perhaps a link to the late afternoon sky behind. Being alone and yet together with the world around him, I hope this bear projects a feeling of acceptance and strength.
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The Enchantment by the Lake, 2011
58" X 40" Oil on Canvas
To those of you who know my work, bears with butterflies surrounding them is a recurrent theme in my imagery. This scene incorporates some different light and a setting that is based on a painting by George Inness showing Lake Nevi in Italy.
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Thunder, 2010
24" X 28" Oil on Canvas
Although I have come close to experiencing in the wild what this bear is seeing, the scene of being in a canyon and confronting a huge waterfall is a re-occurring dream for me. Bear, eagle and water (salmon) are the strongest symbols for Northwest Native Americans and feature prominently in myth and legends. Here I hope to convey a sense of unity between the three.
Available exclusively through Exclusive Collections Gallery SOLD
Waterfall, 2010
24" X 32" Oil on Canvas
I had been wanting to paint this piece for six years and have tried a number of times to get the effect I wanted. Finally, I came across a painter called Hiroshi Senju, who paints a lot of waterfalls and he has been my guide in completing the painting. The waterfall depicted here is based on one of his pieces and I have recreated here in oil paint what he manages to do so eloquently with paper and ink. Hopefully the piece does what it intended in describing the enormous power and beauty of falling water.
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The Blessing, 2010
28" X 40" Oil on Canvas
This is a painting based on one I painted some years ago. I have increased the size of the elephant group and changed the color and cloud formation. Elephants have the strongest bonds with each other and form powerful groups and I think they rejoice in that fact.
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The Prayer, 2010
36” X 30” Oil on Canvas
In a short video clip I thought I had seen a monkey praying. It was in fact a mother holding an infant, but the image of praying stayed with me. The Macaque or Japanese Snow Monkey, living in the mountaninous areas of northern Japan, is one of the most intelligent primates. They are known for washing their food and for occasionally having snowball fights. Unfortunately, because of this intelligence they are favored by drug companies and neuroscientists for testing. I wanted this individual to reflect grace and vulnerability, so I closed his eyes.
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries SOLD
The Lazy River, 2010
36” X 48” Oil on Canvas
The composition of this painting is based around sunlight that is almost blinding to the viewer. The challenge in executing this piece was to have all the animals positioned in such a way to create small vignettes in the frame, but not detract from the overall scene. It is my contention that bears love the water. And like most animals, when they are not hunting for food, they spend their time in idleness. Modern human animals, on the other hand spend all their time busy working and striving with sports and hobbies. It occurs to me that there is a lot to be said for idleness. Perhaps these bears have it right.
Available exclusively through Borsini-Burr Art Galliery SOLD
The Observation, 2010
28” X 40” Oil on Canvas
I have always been fascinated by the notion of the viewer observing the observer. My reading of Lacan's story of the boating trip, and my viewing of Freidrich's paitings, where his subjects are show from behind, tells me that we can be aware in a different way as we consider where we place ourselves in any given scene. As we are self-conscious with the rabbits looking at us (and us looking at them), we are drawn to the back of the distant rabbit lookint at the landscape, remembering at that moment that the scene is really happening at the back of our eyes.
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The Swimmer, 2010
48” X 36” Oil on Canvas
Bear and salmon feature prominently in many Northwestern Native American legends as powerful beings that provide life force to all people. This is well illustrated every spring when bears fish for salmon by standing in the rivers and near waterfalls to catch them as they jump upstream. Less well known is that they occasionally go underwater to find weak or dead salmon (the healthy fish can swim away faster than the bear). It occurred to me that the bear might find herself in a world of mystery and wonder immersed in the water on a sunny spring day, much as we are when we go diving into this different world.
Available exclusively through Borsini-Burr Art Galliery SOLD
The Blessing, 2010
24" X 20" Oil on Canvas
The idea of standing under a gentle waterfall on a hot summer day is a simple pleasure we all have enjoyed at some point in our lives. For this bear it is the same.
Contact the Studio for more information or call 415.905.0107
Guardians, 2010
36" X 48" Oil on Canvas
This painting continues my fascination with bears who hide behind trees and keep an eye out for us, as the path before us unfolds.
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Hunters of the Woods, 2010
44" X 36" Oil on Canvas
Some years ago I spent ten days in Northern Minnesota dog-sledding and camping in -30 degree weather. Although we never saw any wolves, we would hear them at night and find traces of them every morning. They remained a mystery to us humans. The sled dogs paid little attention to the wolves' calls and scent. We were definitely the outsiders.
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The Gate, 2010
30" X 36" Oil on Canvas
This idea has been in my sketchbook for several years. Recently I was able to solve the compositional problems in order to communicate my idea of this family undertaking a difficult journey to reach the high point of the mountain. The scene is very loosely based on a painting by Casper David Friedrich titled Rocky Ravine.
Available exclusively through Lahaina Galleries SOLD
Maya, 2010
24” X 36” Oil on Canvas
Maya here refers to the term used in Hindu philosophy to describe the limited physical and mental reality in which we become entangled. It’s often described as an illusion that is neither real or unreal, true or untrue. The water drops or bubbles are a transitory part of a greater hole (ocean) that we need to see through to gain enlightenment. Of course, as we see through the illusions that are before us, the one thing we can be sure of is that there always will be more challenges to our perception of reality.
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Bubo, 2009
30” X 40” Oil on Canvas
More accurately the creature depicted here resembles Bubo v. Virginianus or a Great Horned Owl. In any case Bubo is the genus of large horned owls from the family Strigidae, which also includes eagle owls and fish owls.
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The Resolve, 2009
24” X 34” Oil on Canvas
Aesop tells a tale of how some frogs were frightened by bounding hares suffering from their own timidity when running from an unknown or non-existent threat. The resolution was for the hares to realize that there are others who fear just as much as they do. They determined to be more aware of this so they would not be incompatible with the frogs in the future.
Contact the Studio for more information or call 415.905.0107
