Tundra Thunder

Tundra Thunder

33.5" X 33.5"

Original oil

And More Moose

Continuing with the vibrant palette, there are purples and warm tones in his coat.

Next up, the highlights on his antlers and his sunlit side will be painted. I'll also be adding more texture to those areas. The little bit of sunlight on his back will finish the moose.
 After that, I'll be working on the foreground and then looking over the painting to see if any sections need tweaking. 

More Moose

Staying with the colorful nature of the piece, his neck has some of the purple from his antlers and the background, and his nose has some peach on the shadowed side.

Antlers

Moose antlers are so dramatic.
I was attracted to this story because I could explore red and purple shadows. 

The red shadow seemed a bit cool so I added some oranges to make it more lively.

This palette is more colorful than my usual ones for wildlife pieces. Rather than scaling back, I have decided to just go for it and see what happens.

Making changes

Sometimes I start a painting knowing there are issues/problems to solve along the way.
On this piece, it was this upper portion of the background.
After blocking in the colors (see previous post), I used a blending brush to really soften the edges.

I didn't like it at all. The whole section felt flat. Time to add some texture back in. I started with the topmost section and pulled through some of the darker green to make distinguishable trees.

In this painting there is a fine line between too soft and too busy. I'll be revisiting portions of the background once the moose is painted.

Fall Tundra

One of the reasons I wanted to paint this piece is the richness of autumn color in the tundra. At this stage, I am just blocking in color.

Square

Square paintings have been rare in my work. I find it much easier to compose a rectangular piece so this next work is a departure for me. A square format just felt right for this painting.

To make the work more dynamic, I wanted to place the subject slightly off-center, creating tension. The drawing and tonal wash are completed.

Oil Painters of America Winner

I'm thrilled to announce that my painting Breath of Fresh Air has won the Animal Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America's Western Regional Show held at Mary Williams Fine Art in Boulder, Colorado.