Dear deer



Deer study   by Shirl Ireland    oil on linen   6" x 6"
What inspried me to paint this study?....the way the light caught that left eye!
I liked the play of warm and cool, light and dark in that small package.



Oh, the bad wrap mule deer take around here! It reminds me of a children’s book I read to my kids – the gist of it is…. If there was only one dandelion here on Earth, what good care we’d take of it – how special we’d treat it knowing it’s the ONLY one. But when there are LOTS of them, oh how we can complain and miss out on appreciating their special qualities.

Mule deer fall into this latter category - especially here at the edge of Yellowstone. And I’m writing this, after I put my brand new beautifully blooming flower pot out front of the gallery yesterday morning – to bring in my newly grazed pot of greens last night! They did leave the roots, so hopefully it’ll grow back before the summer’s over.  

Any way –  I enjoy living AMONG the wildlife here in Gardiner. It’s definitely not a separate existence in this town – we co-habitate. I like that. Yes, even when they eat my flowers. Like other co-habitating, it’s not all perfect. There is give and take.

I’ve never had the feeling that I’m in charge here – truthfully, it feels more to me like I’m living in their spot. So I try to be respectful. After all, the wildlife do not need us what so ever. They can live just fine without any help from us – actually, they’d probably prefer that. But humans on the other hand….Well, we best not go down that side road. I’ll stick to the art and education route...

I enjoy painting wildlife – always have. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of wildlife portraits. I enjoy them – really getting to know the animals anatomy and what makes them ‘read’ as that particular animal. Drawing is key. It's good practice. So you’ll be seeing more ‘wildlife portraits’ from me – along with random tidbits of info and some photos I've taken....



A female mule deer on our property. They can move their oversized ears independently.





The most easily identified difference between a mule deer and a white tail deer - the smaller black tipped tail of the mule deer.

Antler growth begins in the spring. Antlers are a true bone, covered with "velvet," a soft, skin-like tissue that carries nourishment and calcium for the rapidly growing antlers.



A close up showing the 'velvet' antler.


 After the antler growth is completed, the blood-supplying velvet is no longer needed and begins to fall or get rubbed off. This leaves the antlers shiny and hard.



A male mule deer in the fall - making himself at home in our driveway.