Description

Artist Statement by Dustin Ferguson

South of Grande Prairie, along Hammerhead Road, spring awakens the wild. Grizzlies graze in the thawing fields, majestic and indifferent—until one cub breaks the rhythm.

In this photograph, a young bear approaches, curious and bold, its mother watching from nearby with rising unease. I was so fixated on the others that I didn’t notice this one closing the distance. And by the time I did, I was too far from safety. My blood ran cold. The cub kept coming. The mother stirred. I had surrendered control of my life to instinct, to wilderness, to the raw edge of nature.

“Curious Lil Bear” captures more than a moment—it captures the thrill and terror of proximity. The delicate balance between awe and danger. The quiet power of a creature that doesn’t know it holds your fate.

This image is a tribute to living on the edge. To the pulse of spring. To the wild curiosity that reminds us we are never truly in control.