Loss in Bloom: the Black Bear watercolor but part of it —

but part of it — guided

It asks us to consider that death isn’t an ending — it’s a return

It was created as part of an ongoing nature study series

and still — a contrast that pulls the viewer into a world where science

and the passage of seasons—those who know the land holds memory

Loss in Bloom: the Black Bear watercolor but part of it —Bright with the colors of spring yet rooted in a deeper truth, this mixed media painting by J. Brooke Wade places a black bear skull among a vibrant tapestry of the plants it once would have known berries, leaves, blossoms, and grasses. It is a tribute to the cycles of life and a call to remember what is fragile, precious, and in need of protection. "The Black Bear" speaks to the intertwining of life and death, showing that even after the body is