Some heavy lifting

Titans of the Tundra

15" X 34"

Original Oil



As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the thrilling sights on the Noatak River canoe trip was watching two musk ox bulls fight. But, the scenery was not as dramatic as I like for a painting.

Since carrying almost 1/2 a ton of musk ox to a "prettier" spot and then making the trip back to carry the other one would have been a chore, I chose to employ a bit of artistic license. Near the beginning of the trip, we had Mount Igikpak in view. This is the tallest mountain in Gates of the Arctic National Park. A short hike up the slopes one afternoon afforded us a better view. We saw musk ox tracks near the river but it wasn't until a few days later I spotted the first musk ox. (the mountain team saw one closer to the mountain.) Further downstream we saw the pair of bulls.

In this piece, I used the scene from the tundra with Mt. Igikpak, the first musk ox I saw, and one of the sparring pair to create the composition. Much easier than packing the beasts upstream!