Elk #10 was a large male elk estimated at 16 to 18 years old. A 'colorful character' associated with many stories in the Gardiner and Mammoth area over the years. Even a star of a BBC film.
We identified him by his ear tag - yep, that's Elk #10 again. One of our neighbors. Stories were told, sightings were passed around, antics were joked about.
He died recently. And just like other "neighbors", there's a sadness with their passing.
When his ear tag showed up at the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center to be cataloged as part of their permanent collection, I knew I had to paint it...not for the artifact itself, but for the memories and stories attached.
A flat plastic tag - not much to it. SO....how do you paint THAT?
What a good example to talk about some basic painting principles! It's not always about the 'flashy subject' - the majestic mountains or glorious sky.
How do you 'make a painting' when your subject is just a flat plastic tag?....
Composition is definitely a BIG part of making this painting work. I considered the options....
By offsetting the tag in a vertical format, it created an interesting variety of negative shapes. ('Negative shapes' are the shapes around the tag.)
Visual interest - I'd need the painted surface to be particularly appealing, since the object itself was not. I didn't want it to be 'photographic'. Loose but readable. Show the paint itself and therefore part of the process of painting. THAT can be interesting.
A palette knife fit the bill - it can add texture and an organic quality to the painted surface. So I dropped the brushes in favor of a palette knife on this one.
I've heard it said that "painting is just a series of problem solving". I had a handful of problems to solve today, but I certainly enjoyed the challenge!
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| Ode to Number Ten by Shirl Ireland |
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