Acclaimed for his depictions of the natural world, Daniel Smith is one of the country´s foremost wildlife artists. The surroundings in his native southwest Montana continue to inspire him and provide him with the opportunity to paint from personal experience, which gives his work both striking detail and stirring realism. Smith has admitted an attraction to predators and dangerous game and his affinity for great bears is apparent in Retreat from the Heat. As the harsh morning sun heats the earth, the only cool surface available to this ma. . .