Ghost Moose Stand-in

I have tentatively made a decision about the placement of the moose.  I won't be able to include a complete shadow of the antlers, but have always like taking an image outside the edges of the canvas, so....what else is new.  I quickly blocked in a watery ghost moose to see if the placement is still OK once it is more tangible.  If I get it wet enough, and scrub a lot, I can probably still remove it without redoing ALL of the background layers......

Ghost moose enters - needs the shadows to make a final decision!

I think this will work AND it's looking like water - although that means I will have to decide the depth of the water that the moose is wading in AND if the water is transparent, semitransparent, or murky.....decisions, decisions!!  AND then there is the decision, when using water, about the location of the observer because it will influence the location of the reflections.....yep, decisions, decisions!

Is this placement the one that you picked, or was it one of the others?  I have a tough time deciding, and thought about it way longer than I probably needed to! Afterall, it is JUST a painting!!!

Moose Supervisor

While I continue to agonize over the placement of the moose in my painting, I have adopted a new studio supervisor.  He is the broody, quiet type, but is constantly chewing - OK - in theory, he is constantly chewing.

Studio Supervisor

Moose moves in.....but where???

OMG, I apologize if this is starting to feel like the "Moose Soap Opera."  Keep in mind, the drama is limited,  there is no love triangle, sex, or organ-simulated music.  My intent is just to take you along with me on the journey. 

Although I have not made a final decision about whether or not the foreground will be water or rocks, I am still going to experiment with moose placement. 

I began by placing the cutout very close to the boulders.  The moose neck blocks my favorite background pines AND birches, and the branch that looks like it's piercing the moose's neck would have to go.  On to try #2.  

A little more central and all the way to the forefront.  Downside - no room for that beautiful antler shadow.  Upside, the background trees are more visible.  Next........

Try #3 - The moose's hind hooves are dancing on the rocks - not a very stable location for any foraging moose.  I like the placement a little more to the center, however.  There is not enough contrast between this cut out moose and the lodgepole pines, however.  Good rational NOT to have an albino moose!    I do like this size for the moose, however....that's a keeper.  Next.....

Size is good - how about location?  Is there room for antler shadows?  If the sun is center, top, the shadows of the pines would have a sunburst effect in the shadow, as well.....HMMMMM....

So, what placement appeals to you? 

About the Moose.........

I really can't go any further until I make some decisions about the size and placement of the moose.  Since I am doing this painting in layers (and would really like to avoid multiple paintings of multiple layers,) I want to decide on the moose layer before I continue.   

In a previous painting, I decided to bring the white pelican (that was flying next to our boat,) to the forefront.  The size and location of the bird is somewhat unusual and I would like to explore this effect further.  So what might that mean for "the moose?"

A portion of the "White Pelicans" painting, acrylic on canvas.  Reference photograph taken in Sanibel Nature Preserve, Sanibel, Florida.  Click on painting to enlarge.  (Reminder that this is a copyright protected image.) 

Although I watched for moose during my art exploration in Grand Marais, I didn't see any that were living.  (Liz brought a great skull to class, however, which helped me realize the massive size of these majestic animals.)  Although online references can be useful, I am always mindful of intellectual properties concerns and copyright.  The Duluth Aquarium provided a nice visual reference to a moose, and one that was more "fair haired," as well.  In hind sight, I should have completely circled the display, but instead explored the lighting the emphasized the antlers in the shadowing. 

Duluth Aquarium native animals display, Duluth, Minnesota

I decided to start with a separate sketch of a moose so that I could experiment with size and placement.  I used 11" X 14" Strathmore bristle paper so that it would keep some form once it was cut. 

As with many of my animal depictions, my sketch reveals more animation than the "almost real" version.  Stay tuned, because color and lighting will only serve to increase this quality. 

Once cut out, I could manipulate the stance and appendage angles somewhat simply by cutting the moose apart and repositioning the parts.  If you look carefully on the moose image above, you will note the masking tape where I have done this several times.    Next, to the painting.

Needs Boulders!

Everywhere you look on the North Shore along Lake Superior, you are reminded about the ruggedness of the terrain.   Edges of the roadways are lined with rust and prussian blue gravel and rocks.  Within ten feet on the northern side of many passages, are rock sheers.  The massive sheets of rock are tilted to remind all who pass that the glaciers  were bigger still, and dragged a lot of debris with them as they melted.  Frequent rivers, waterfalls, and raging streams also serve as constant reminders that all who go there, human, animal, plantlife, etc. must be tough to endure. 

Well, all of those reminders are screaming, "add boulders, add boulders!"  So, here goes.....

I started by laying in some darks and reflected lights.  (The foreground is looking more and more like water all of the time, isn't it?)  

Starting to define some of the boulders.  Click on the image to enlarge. 

I want the edges of the boulders here to show the stratified layers and fracture lines so characteristic of North Shore roadside and shoreline rocks. 

Leaves and Gravel - framing the background

As I drove by each of the roadside clumps of planted trees, the features that were consistent included the dense foliage at the top and the starkness of the trunks in the middle. 

The grove of trees is taking on a more realistic quality - still needs more leaves at the top.  Click on the image to enlarge.

In addition to the density of leaves at the top, the grass at the foot of each tree helps further define the trunks and the overall space the trees occupy.  The golds and rusts in the gravel at the bottom help warm up the overall tone and could be "moosey" shades.

Since I was driving on either blacktop asphalt or concrete, I also had the advantage of using the curbing, roadbed, or drainage ditches to define the bottom of each grassy meadow containing the trees.  So far the dominant colors in the background are based in blue - cerulean and prussian, with the addition of red, yellow, ochre, and/or white.  I am going to add additional tones to the foundation of the trees to pull in the colors of the moose I intend to add later.  As with the potential addition of trees, I can always change these colors later - the beauty of acrylics!

Although I had originally intended for the bottom third of the painting to be boulders, rocks, and varying sizes of gravel, a discussion with Tom and Sarah over dinner has helped me rethink this portion of the painting.  

 As we walked to the waterfall pictured in the beginning of this blog, we kept a keen eye out for moose.  Meadering brooks and streams leading to the rapidly raging river provided a good reminder that moose hang out in water.  I think I will complete my sketch of a moose, cut it out, and move it around on the canvas to consider gravel/rocks vs. water. 

Expanding the Grove

My reference pictures include a mini-forest of trees that appear to be planted in pseudo-rows.  Because these trees bordered the roadside, their primary purpose is probably intended to be wind and snow breaks.  I am most interested in the backdrop of the light color of the tree bark throughout the trunk of the trees, and the way the shadows of the leaves play off of the trunks.  I do plan to put a moose in the forefront of the painting, but am not interested in course, blackish-brown coat of the senior male moose population.  Although it could create a strong contrast of lights and darks, artistic license suggests the moose could become an inky blob that dominates the entire canvas. 

For now,I'll be adding more trees and I will do a sketch of a moose on bristle paper to cut out and use as an aid in moose placement.

I have started with the addition of two more trees.  the addition to the left is deliberately larger in diameter to bring it forward in the grove.  The lower branch may be a problem later, but for now I like the way it helps frame the birch stand in the distance.  

Continuing to add more leaves and grass.  I keep reminding myself about the importance of keeping the central tree trunks very sparse. 

Originally I planned to paint a dozenish trees to set the backdrop, but now feel that I would complete lose the distant images that include the sky, clouds and two layers of trees and brush.  For now, I think I will move forward by addition additional leaves at the top and some texture to "ground" this layer (OK, pun intended.)  I can always go back and add more trees later if this grove doesn't create a sufficient setting.