Majestic Migration

In July of 2014 I was driving through the Grand Teton area of Wyoming when I happened upon a small herd of bison wandering along a ridge. No one else was in sight and I had them all to myself! I snapped a series of photos and combined them for this painting titled "Majestic Migration".

So many people are interested in the process of building a painting so I stopped at times along the way to take a picture so I could share my process with you. Well at least the progression of how this particular painting came together. Not all come together the same way.

 Charcoal Sketch

 Blocking in

The initial laying in of the color can be a bit boring for the viewer. These are very basic and large color blocks that will be refined in later stages. But it is important to get the relationships established early throughout the painting so values and temperature can be constantly checked. I often like to keep my initial color a bit raw and somewhat bright. It is always easier to gray it down later. I also want the background around the bison to be wet when I paint them. This makes it more interesting with the treatment of the edges between them to avoid a cut and pasted look.

 This is where the real fun begins for me...painting the bison! More often I paint all of them simultaneously, but this time I decided to work one at a time. I began with the benevolent leader who pauses to glance back in patient encouragement to his fellow beasts. I will go back into each one later and refine once I get them all laid in.

 Moving across the canvas I had particular fun with the next two bison. I didn't want them to appear as if they were marching in a straight line along the ridge so I changed their angles to break it up. Also it was important to have the creatures vary in size and demeanor to create a more natural story. Another mistake would be to have space between each one so this was a perfect opportunity to connect 3 of them. The "ghost herd" is beginning to come alive!

 Not long after I had painted the 4th bison my son dropped by for a visit. I had to chuckle when he sarcastically commented on the albino buffalo. The group is still looking a bit "cut and pasted" so once the "albino" is given full color I will work the landscape and background which is still very roughed in. Also I will spend time refining each individual bison.

Now all 5 bison have been painted yet I still need to "tweak" each one to be certain they are as accurate as I would like and are "reading" the way I want them to. Next I will be working on the surrounding landscape and sky. Below are closeups done after I refined them.

"Majestic Migration"

11x46 oil on mounted linen

Finally the finished piece! As you can see I did a fair amount of work around the bison figures....the landscape was detailed and deepened in the foreground to give it depth and the bison were grounded by their cast shadows. I simplified the sky so it did not compete with the rest of the painting. The mountain peaks were challenging with their white peaks. They had to be downplayed considerably otherwise they would become the focal point and I wanted the bison to be the stars here! Speaking of focal points (as artists we can be obsessed with this), usually there is one specific area that is designed to draw the eye, but I don't always adhere to this principle. In this case I wanted the focal point to be the entire group and what they represent individually but more importantly as a whole. The majestic mountain peaks echo the majesty of their own living, breathing forms. I hope you enjoyed this process as much as I do!

Wild Things

My friend Pepper (I call her Peppy) is the real deal…a one-of-a-kind Gen-U-Wine character! For many reasons she inspires me. Number one is she is a CREATIVE FORCE. In the 8 years since we met and became art buddies I have seen her reinvent her art several times over, always with great results. A neat trick considering she is within spitting distance of my mom's age yet pulls off the spirit of a woman 30 years younger!

Visually she is as much a treat as her artwork. She has the kind of hair that people cross the street and ask to touch. It is not only the brassy red color, but mostly that she wears it unlike anyone I have ever seen (excepting infant girls). She sports it in 2 thick pom pom-like pony tails on top of her head that bob and sway with her energetic movements. Being of Italian heritage gives them ample opportunity to accompany her vigorous hand gestures. Her hair could have its own Facebook page! I wouldn’t be surprised if they suddenly began to talk, they have that much personality. I should start referring to them as the twins...

Needless to say they attract plenty of attention and Pepper takes it in stride. Here's an example of what she encounters on a regular basis: Recently she made a visit to Daniel Smith's art supplies in downtown Seattle. One of the employees called to her across the store and excitedly started telling her about a series of paintings she had done using pictures she had taken of Pepper some time ago. Pepper had forgotten all about the photos, being used to having people ask for a pic. This woman pulls out her phone to show the images, babbling with high enthusiasm about her Pepper paintings. Turns out these were not just small studies…they measured 3 or 4 feet across. Can you imagine that? Someone snaps your photo and gets so inspired as to create not one, but an entire series of very large paintings!?!?  Such is the life of Pepper!

Not too long ago she contemplated changing her hairstyle to something more normal. This was to please someone in her life that was uncomfortable with them. We, her friends, her buddies were aghast! Her pom poms are so much a part of her it would be like an amputation, unnatural and grieve worthy should they be snipped. Thank goodness she snapped out of it!!

Next week the two of us will be the featured artists at a new gallery in Seattle called Vernissage. Our show is aptly titled "Wild Things" with my wildlife and her seductive women gracing the walls. We decided to have a bit more fun than usual that evening by handing out brightly colored "pigtails" for attendees to wear. It should create a delightfully carnival atmosphere of fun!!