Live Wildlife Oil Painting: Capturing the Malayan Tiger and Gibbon
Painting a portrait live of an endangered species was a challenge I was grateful to accept as someone who has dedicated my life to sharing my love for earth through my children's book series Save the Earth® and worked in the realm from wildlife conservation and rehabilitation from hands on experience, to behind a microscope and now at an easel.
The Technique of Live Painting
ZooKnoxville invited me to come and paint an oil on canvas portrait of a White-Handed Gibbon and Malayan Tiger live in under four hours and give my work to the zoo to auction to benefit the housed animals and wildlife conservation. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to go!
I always begin with a sketchy underpainting technique. These initial gestural strokes are an essential part of my artistic process to create a "map" of the painting before I begin speed painting with color. For these portraits I quickly got a loose shape of the animal's face and body, eye placement and marked a few darks and highlights before jumping straight into mixing custom colors.
I love working with a limited palette, usually brown, blue, yellow, red, and white. These five colors are an adjacent primary palette to allow my colors to keep a natural tone and harmony throughout the works and collection.
Conservation Through Art
As a professional artist with a degree in Biology and dedicated to environmental advocacy, my goal isn't just to paint a portrait, but to capture the animal's soul. I will never forget having a heated debate in middle school with other students who didn't believe that animals had souls. It terrified me to realize that many people don't realize how intelligent and individualized living creatures are. While every stroke is backed by scientific observation and a passion for wildlife preservation, the final piece is designed to encourage seeing animals in a new light.
Owning the Original
Both works are oil on a 20" x 24" thick gallery wrapped canvas.
UPDATE: Both pieces sold and were auctioned at the wildlife fundraiser to benefit conservation and the care of the animals at the zoo that are both a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plans.
Continuing the Mission through Prints
I want to keep the giving alive, so I've created prints of both original live portraits with each painting going to an organization that works to protect their species.
Georgie
Fine Art Giclée
Printed on environmentally conscious, FSC-certified paper.
A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project.
Every order plants 1 tree & removes 5 plastic bottles
Jango
Fine Art Giclée
Printed on environmentally conscious, FSC-certified paper.
A portion of proceeds will be donated to Panthera.
Every order plants 1 tree & removes 5 plastic bottles
A Second-Chance at an Original
Before each live session I created a painting of a White-Handed Gibbon and Malayan Tiger to get to learn a bit about Jango and Georgie's species before I painted them live an in person.
White-Handed Gibbon
16 x 20 Oil on Canvas
UPDATE Sold to a Private Collection
Malayan Tiger
16 x 20 Oil on Canvas
An expressive oil painting that captures a portrait of a relaxed tiger.
A portion of proceeds will be donated to Panthera.
Every order plants 1 tree & removes 5 plastic bottles