Candace Dawn Hill (brown bear woman) was born in one of the most unforgiving climates in the Canadian prairies which only helped prepare and create a woman who tested the elementals yet respected them from childhood as she roamed freely in the forests all year round on the ancestral land of her ancestors the Original People of Turtle Island. From her deep affection for nature she found a way to express that love through photography "the Art of Seeing" at age fifteen.
Her dreams throughout her childhood were always of the mountains and oceans and this amazingly was where she quite literally found herself living at the age of twenty three in the beautiful rain forests of coastal British Columbia.
Candace believes the love from her family and friends throughout her life have greatly contributed to her seeking for "truth"
Today she has found the balance in her life as both an introvert much like the bear but also an extrovert or "whirlwind" some elders call her when necessary.
About the Illustrator
Michael Chokomoolin grew up in James Bay coastal communities and now resides on Manitoulin Island, Canada. He is a member of Attawapiskat First Nation, and speaks fluent Cree. Michael was first introduced to art by his father Henry who frequently told him, "dami-sin-ah-heke", "Start drawing!" So he started out doing what his two brothers, and every other kid at school did, he drew pictures of cowboys and Indians! When he outgrew that he began painting what he paints to this day - the bears and other wildlife of Northern Ontario. "The animals teaches us about life", he says. "Painting images of them heals me and makes me feel calm and peaceful"....
