Cougar Totem WIP
The photo here is a little dark as the paper should show white. This is a cropped view of the latest in the totem series. Tomorrow I will post my reference photos (and introduce you to my model Sam) and the full view.
This is once an again oil pastel on handmade paper. Kinda fun to play with the wild colors after doing so many realistic horse paintings. Trying to decide which to do next. Moose? Horse? I’m thinking also of a white buffalo sometime in the future. I want to change up my color palette some in the next few. Though I keep seeing the Moose as green.
I should finish with this one by tomorrow and plan to just jump right into the next one. Mike has left for his classes so I have 5 days to myself.
Make that 5 productive days to myself. (Whoohoo!).
Loving it! GReat pose too. How big is it. Your mark making looks larger, but maybe that is because of the size. What do you think. I really, really love the use of color in this. Cougars must figure in your totem.
You must be feeling better!
GREAT!!!!!! I hope your alone time is good both relaxing and productive with doing art.
Looking forward to seeing the ref. pictures.
It is 10 1/2 x 13 like the others. I imagine the marks look larger because it is a cropped image and so appears closer. Though I may be working them a little larger. I’ll have to take a closer look when at the gallery.
No cougars in my personal totem. However this one is one I worked with in the zoo so I am partial to her. I was wondering how she is doing while painting today and came a sad thought that she may already have passed away. It’s been nearly 20 years and so is certainly possible.
She is coming out so beautiful! Thank you! Even if she’s gone, yeah, 20 years is a long time for any cat big or little, this is also a perfect memorial to her and I hope she had cubs.
It’s been so long that Big Kitty is probably aged or retired by now. I met him first in 1992 or 1993 at NecroNomiCon in Florida, where he was the guest of honor and he was seven at the time. They were raising money to purchase a female cub Florida Panther for his mate. I donated a lot of art, got to pet Big Kitty and got given a lesson in how to wash myself after doing pastels with a two inch wide sandpaper tongue all the way up to my arm pit.
He was purring while he did it.
We raised enough money for the female and years later I saw a postcard from the same organization showing three Florida Panther cubs, so I felt all warm inside.
Cougar is my totem and she is so beautiful in this painting. She brings back so many memories, all of them good. Even if she’s old, she’s had a good life your friend will not be forgotten… or her endangered relatives and descendants.
Hmmm . . .You sure he wasn’t tasting you Robert?
Good on You for helping out such a worthy cause. My heart says we gotta save these critters and yet whenever we have a Mt. Lion in the area it terrifies me that Chicory may be attacked. A couple of years back a neighbor of 4 miles away as the crow flies had two of his horses (and i dog) wounded and then later another dog killed.
So my protective mommy instinct says I’d kill it if it ever hurt any of my babies.
I guess I am totally conflicted about it. But well done you!
I love this one! Cats are a special favorite of mine, but I totally agree about the protective mommy instinct- we have 9 little sheep and I would be very angry if someone came to eat them!!
May I suggest Raven as an idea for one of your totem paintings? He would be beautiful in your colors and is another one of my favorites. I saw 2 of them playing together this morning on my walk to work- such beautiful birds and so fun loving!
I am glad you are feeling better and are having some creative alone time!
Thanks Lorie. Raven is in the planning stage and also one of my favorite birds.