Animal Magic
I have the feeling that we were very lucky with our experiences of wildlife on the trip. We got very close to a moose, close enough to both brown and black bears but not as close as we’d like to a ghostly white wolf. These sightings were usually accompanied by a frantic instinctive urge to record them with the camera, as if ticking them off our imagined checklist.

The meetings with Buffalo were similarly excitable initially (see my first sketch from the trip below) but, due to the frequency and proximity of subsequent encounters, we were able to develop a more substantial natural appreciation of these incredible animals. Seeing them at various stages in many different settings always seemed to punctuate the journey with a welcome reminder of the wild forces at play. Looking at them is like being told an epic survival tale of incongruous power and beauty. In a strange way I think doing some work on the subject of the Buffalo will keep me close to what I need to remember about the Landscape.

First sight of Buffalo.

I’ve started a couple of sketchpads which will hopefully enable me to explore various facets of this amazing beast, in more depth, resulting in some pieces for the exhibition. I’ve started one with biro line drawings and in another larger one(A3) I intend to use a limited palette of oil paint on varnished paper. I will return to this thread of work on the blog with notable studies when they occur.

Sketchpads images, Oil painting on varnish paper and a Biro form study.