Kings

Well yesterday we had a fabulous Thanksgiving with family and friends, wonderful food and a nice sunny day. It was just one of those perfect holidays, the only thing that could have made it better would have been to see family from out of state. Maybe next year! One thing that I'm extremely thankful for is the amount of support that I've been blessed with in pursuing my art career. I really couldn't ask for more in that area. One of my most recent paintings is titled "Kings of the Mountain" and it is 12" x 24" on canvas. I chose to create this one from a little bit different of a focus than my last few paintings. The changes in this piece were the inclusion of gold leaf and oil paints on top of my original acrylics. I think these two additions made a wonderful difference that added a lot of depth to the piece. Some people have asked what the crown above the bluebird means so I'll tell you what my meaning is, but you can definitely come up with your own.

The mountains in the background are the Tetons of Wyoming. The big horned sheep is definitely a natural "king" of the mountain so in turn he should have a golden crown. I applied gold leaf to his horns and then painted over areas in oils. I wanted there to be another focus for the viewer and so added the bluebird and perched him on the sheep. Partly because it is a nice design element, but also because birds are the only animals who can naturally go higher than the mountain sheep. So he should get a crown too! Also, I love fantasy and imaginary surrealism. Adding little bits of those elements no matter how small just adds to the fun and interest of a painting.