Place of peace

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This one was inspired by an article I read about the importance of National Parks in wolf conservation. It bought to mind those quiet, undisturbed places where the wild things find peace away from the strange world we have created.

Having been fortunate enough to spend a while photographing wolves I was struck by the amazing individuality and character of each wolf and wanted to convey this in my paintings. Consequently I decided to create three portraits in a matched set to contrast the personalities of each.

I'd been dying to work on this image since the fall when I photographed the Winter Berries growing all along our local trail. They seem to fluoresce against the fall colours and I thought it would be interesting to use this intense colour to deliberately distract from the animal subject in a painting.

This portrait is based on a Wolf called McKinnley. He is the leader of his pack, big, confident and impressive. At the time I was collecting reference it had just rained giving his coat a wonderful 'clumpy' texture. I think the damp may also have contributed to his slightly world weary expression.

What can I say, wolves are awesome. Its as clear as black and white.