MtnElk
Well-known member
Sometime this fall I saw RMEF shared a painting of an elk that my non artistic ass could only describe as "half realistic, half abstract". I thought it was really cool so I showed it to my wife - who loves to paint - and said something along the lines of "your style of art would be amazing for subjects like wildlife". That was the last we talked about it. My wife left her corporate job and took a sabbatical starting in November, and weirdly her office door has been closed since early December. I thought nothing of it, because there is nothing in there that I need.
But this morning I walked in to my office to see this hanging up and was blown away. We agreed not to exchange gifts because she was on sabbatical and not working, so she must have decided to paint this for me instead (I got her something anything because like @Stocker said... never fall for that lol). For someone who has never done any "realistic" style painting- animals, humans, etc - I was blown away to see this elk she made for me. A surfer at heart - but now mostly surfs on snow - it was cool to see her typical 'surf art' style (as I call it) come to live within the boundaries of the elk. She admits she wishes certain features turned out more life like (antlers mostly) but I am really impressed by what she did for her first time trying this.
And now she's caught the bug. She wants to get more canvases to paint muley, pronghorn, big horn, bear, etc. So I am excited to see her art evolve and become more lifelike while still maintaining that abstract art style as well. But for now, I am just going to enjoy this original and keep supporting her art journey as she enjoys the last two months of her sabbatical. It's great seeing her connect with her art again and happy to be the beneficiary of her first wildlife piece. I like that she nailed the view of looking at the elk nearly straight on, but slightly from the left, hence the right rear leg being hidden.
"Bugle Boy"; Acrylic & Sharpie on canvas; 48x36; 2023
But this morning I walked in to my office to see this hanging up and was blown away. We agreed not to exchange gifts because she was on sabbatical and not working, so she must have decided to paint this for me instead (I got her something anything because like @Stocker said... never fall for that lol). For someone who has never done any "realistic" style painting- animals, humans, etc - I was blown away to see this elk she made for me. A surfer at heart - but now mostly surfs on snow - it was cool to see her typical 'surf art' style (as I call it) come to live within the boundaries of the elk. She admits she wishes certain features turned out more life like (antlers mostly) but I am really impressed by what she did for her first time trying this.
And now she's caught the bug. She wants to get more canvases to paint muley, pronghorn, big horn, bear, etc. So I am excited to see her art evolve and become more lifelike while still maintaining that abstract art style as well. But for now, I am just going to enjoy this original and keep supporting her art journey as she enjoys the last two months of her sabbatical. It's great seeing her connect with her art again and happy to be the beneficiary of her first wildlife piece. I like that she nailed the view of looking at the elk nearly straight on, but slightly from the left, hence the right rear leg being hidden.
"Bugle Boy"; Acrylic & Sharpie on canvas; 48x36; 2023
if anyone has any really awesome sheep photos, send them my way. 
