Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Hide Away


"The Hide Away" - 6" x 12" oil on stretched canvas
If you have ever been to Rocky Mountain National Park and stayed at the 'Timber Creek' campground, you know that in 'rutting' season, the elk 'bugle' in the meadow. If you are really quiet, you can sneak through the brush and steal a few close-ups of them as they move through the area. Unless they are out in the open, they can be quite elusive. They are the coolest animals! Camouflaged well in the fall brush, the way nature takes care of them, unless the sun is shining brightly on them through the trees, like it was when I snapped this photo. The bulls are very large and very protective of their harem, so you have to be careful. The bull is not in this painting, but he was near by, you can bet. We always feel like we are on 'wild safari' when we try to photo them. One time, while crossing a little creek on a 'hunt' for that 'Kodak moment', I fell into the creek, backwards. Hubster got quite a laugh out of that! I guess I laughed later...ha.

4 comments:

Susan Carlin said...

Ok, you're freaking me out. That deer's face, the one that's looking directly at the viewer, is about a half inch tall. And you painted it with such detail...loosely!
I bow to you, O Goddess of the Paintbrush.

Pattie Wall said...

OK, but it's an elk, and toothpicks do wonders on little faces and branches of brush creek trees. Thanks - Loose is the name of our game these days, right? Ugh, sometimes it doesn't happen.

Susan Carlin said...

Um, elk. Right. Toothpicks, you say. Actually, I remember a place in the last painting I could've used one. I keep trying to step back from the detail, but sometimes you just have to change that one little thing....
Elk. Got it.

Pattie Wall said...

It's interesting how we can't leave a painting alone - at the end. Yes, dear...elk...LOL

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  Lukki - watercolor 9" x 12" acrylic done from Unsplash ph ref, thanks C Deluvio!