Acrylic on Board 12x16
Canadian Artist Robert Bateman, one of my heroes, has said it is often the case to see a wild animal camouflaged. I painted this wolf in a way I imagined you might steal a glimpse of him in the wild.
Canadian Artist Robert Bateman, one of my heroes, has said it is often the case to see a wild animal camouflaged. I painted this wolf in a way I imagined you might steal a glimpse of him in the wild.
I remember taking the reference photo for this painting from an open window in a room of my house. It was a very cold Fall day before any of us were used to the change in temperature. The bright red colors of the leaves and the way they appeared almost transparent in the sun were the perfect backdrop for this male sparrow.
“We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer – which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.” – Farley Mowat
Blue Jay number three from a three part series of birds on a wire, outside my back window. Brother to "Winken" and "Blinken."
Blue Jay number two from a three part series of birds on a wire, outside my back window. Brother to "Winken" and "Nod."
Blue Jay number one from a three part series of birds on a wire, outside my back window. Brother to "Blinken" and "Nod."
Surprise! A chipmunk darts out of the grass not expecting to see the wolf. The wolf was caught off guard also. Both are frozen in time.
It must not be easy to sleep through a blizzard, but this wolf was trying. I had the place to myself on this day as not many wanted to venture out. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of my footsteps on the squeaky snow.
Getting good reference for paintings often involves standing around observing for long periods of time with a heavy camera at the ready...and luck. Mostly luck. Wolves interact quite a bit with each other, but the action is fast, and you have to be faster. Watching how the wolves move, and studying them also burns an image in your mind that you can draw upon later to make up for what a photo reference lacks.
I never thought about wolves as animals that swim until I visited Wolf Park in Indiana and witnessed it myself. I was amazed at the distance they could cover, but I shouldn't have been. They are strong animals built for endurance.