I spent my Sunday afternoon painting the above picture, which was both fun and frustrating. I've been seeing lots of wildlife art recently, and I got tired of wondering whether I could possibly paint pretty pictures, too. So I tried some watercolors, because I had some lying around and they seemed a straightforward place to start with no training.
I painted with an old kiddie set of watercolors and some ancient brushes I've been hauling around since elementary school (when I used to actually think I could be an artist). I even dug out my old easel, which my parents bought me for Christmas one year when I kept watching Bob Ross and his happy little trees on PBS. It's amazing that I even held on to all of these old art supplies with all the moving I've been doing, but I guess I always hoped I'd have a chance to play around with them again. (Have I mentioned how great my summer has been?)
I'm going to go ahead and blame the poor paints for my pictures' lack of perfection. After painting these and a few other random animals (like a puma), I decided that I found this hobby interesting enough to go out and buy a small set of proper paints and some watercolor brushes--a profound difference!
I figured that pronghorn antelopes deserved to be my first subject of focus because they are the most unique species near my new home. Pronghorns are actually so unique they have their own genus as well (they are the only animals in existence that shed a branched horn on a yearly basis...). They are also the most willing to be seen when I am in the mood to view wildlife (which is pretty much anytime). My other favorite western animals are moose and mountain goats. I chose not to focus on moose, though, because I am currently angry with them. They refuse to show themselves even though I spend a good amount of time in the wilderness, and I am starting to feel that their presence in Wyoming is merely a myth.
Mountain goat painting will be a huge challenge because of their solid white coats. I may have to paint some that have just rolled in the mud. Otherwise I imagine it will look something like that old joke of a polar bear in a snowstorm.
I decided to post the progress of my painting, since I haven't come up with any exciting blog topics. Please have patience with my pathetic pictures (available for purchase for the proper price...).
5 comments:
Excellent painting of pronghorn antelope, though it's unclear whether you intended to paint antlers or horns. A difficult call, but artists sometimes have to make these tough choices.
While we encourage the painting of all types of wildlife including those listed in your entry, we would also be curious to see what some of your art of humans might look like. As the curators of "The Gallery of Famous People", one of the most visited sites of its kind on the web, we would gladly accept and display your work.
Regards,
M & B
Pray tell, what is the proper price for a pristine, pronghorn painting posted on your prestigious public publishing?
Hey Ponderer, I like your style. I'm sure we could work something out, especially if it involves ice cream.
I pay a million billion dollars, but no ice cream.
Whoa, words from beyond the grave. I know for a fact (Wikipedia) that Jon Pertwee died in 1996 (a heart attack while visiting Connecticut--and who in their right mind takes a holiday to Connecticut?). While I am a fan of Dr. Who (and who isn't?), I must be skeptical of this offer given its poor grammar, its unlikely sum of money, and its ghostly author. (Although if it's really Jon Pertwee, I would like to know what's behind the bull-fighter outfit he wore as the third doctor...frills and a cape? I mean, really.)
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