Artist's Comments

Wildlife Habitat Canada President Len Ugarenko with 2010 Youth Stamp Creator Ivy Liu

Wildlife Habitat Canada is thrilled to congratulate 14 year old Ivy Liu from British Columbia for being selected as the winning artist for the first Canadian Youth Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp.

Here is what Ivy has to say about her painting.

"The moment I heard about the get to know program, I was more than excited. At first I had many ideas in mind, but after some research, the spirit bear and the black bear really stood out to me. The inspiration really came from an interesting fact about these bears. It really got me interested when I learned that the spirit bear is actually a black bear that has white fur due to a rare genetic trait. This is when I decided to paint the spirit bear and the black bear to show not only diversity among species but also diversity within species. When I was creating this piece of art, I imagined an environment that was harmless to the bears, a place where these animals can live in harmony; this is why bright yellow was added, to show warmth and protection. Other than painting I also enjoy traveling with my family, as well as exploring nature. In the future I hope to help conserve wildlife habitat even more."