9/2 update

I am happy to say I have now begun the Elk himself, and will continue to paint him while the first layer of grass dries...  I still need to do the grass foreground of course which might be a little painstaking but very rewarding once completed  :-)

The background has been interesting to paint as I have combined a number of various photographs to create it. I went so far as to photograph a nearby meadow to help with the detail, so we'll see what the finished result will be in a couple of weeks.

15 September I am off to visit South Africa for 6 weeks, so I am doing my best to finish this painting in good time!

Here's the latest sneak-peak:

8/26/2013

Congratulations to the new owners of my current Elk painting; John and Theresa Barr! I'm thrilled this piece will be joining 'Salmon for Lunch' and 'Sojourner' in your home...

Here is the latest update, hopefully in a week or so I will be able to start on the Elk himself...

The Elk Painting

After some time of prep work for my new elk painting, I have finally begun to make some progress over the last week! Although I don't usually do the background first, this time I felt compelled to because of the magnificient antlers interrupting my sky space, which would have made the brushwork difficult in the reverse ;-) Thanks to my practise with clouds in 'Ingonyama' and mountains in 'Sierra Encounter' I have moved quite speedily so far...

Once the mountains are completed I will carry on working my way down the painting, covering hills with trees, closer trees and bushes and lastly the grass covered meadow. It seems to be a great build up towards the elk himself, which is making me quite excited to reach that point... of course the main subject is always my favourite - he will bring the painting to life!

While we wait for the climax, here are some background progress shots...

Cougar in the Snow

"Cougar in theSnow has finally been completed! I have enjoyed the enormous challange of the snow and feel like I have added another set of skills to my belt because of it... I no longer dread the 'how to' of painting snow, I have learnt the subtlety of hues involved, which consist mostly of the colors 'Pthalo Blue', 'Permanent Rose' and 'Ultramarine Blue' in this particular painting.

Next up I will be painting an Elk on a 24x24" canvas, drawing my inspiration from the photographs of Tom Blandford; nature and wildlife photographer.

7/23 update! Cougar completed ... now for the snow!

Cougar update 7/10

 

 

 

I have made much progress since the last shot... in the following week I will be working on the forelegs and you will finally be able to seeing the swift running position the cougar holds. The snow has been challenging on the coat, but I think it will be even more challanging in the background with bits of snow flyinf in all directions! Keep checking back for more updates!

The Cougar

Here are some of the first update for my current painting. You cannot see the whole picture right now, but the cougar is running towards the viewer in the snow, a great action shot!