Well, I did it – I added a little contemporary (and A LOT of color) to my realism painting. I have to admit, I had a hard time starting “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest, but the process turned out to be a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to paint a Moose for quite awhile now, as I have always been fascinated by these elusive giants.
The Moose
Moose hold a mysterious beauty in my mind. Beauty because these often sedentary animals have beautiful, thick coats that protect them from the extreme cold, and the males grow impressive palmated antlers that can span six-feet in size. Did you know that the male moose grows a new set of antlers each year?
Mysterious because my family and I take multiple trips each year to the boreal forest here in Minnesota, and we have yet to spot a moose. Moose have poor eye sight, but a keen sense of smell and hearing, which can send them running at more than 35mph before humans (or predators) have a chance to spot them. Pretty good for an animals that can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. – moose are the largest and heaviest species in the deer family
I think I need to find a moose guide.
The Painting
Back to the painting.
Adding bright colors to the bull moose was a lot of fun. Initially deciding on which colors to use was difficult, but after I put the first brush strokes down the colors just came naturally. I started with two of my favorite colors to paint with – quinacridone rose (a bright, but deep pink), and ultramarine blue (a deep blue) – and the colors just started to flow.
As my painting neared completion, the bull moose started to look imposing with his dramatic color and piercing yellow eyes. The first title that came to mind was “King of the Northwoods”, but I saw another painting of a moose online with the exact title. Instead, I consulted with my mom – my go-to for, well, anything – thanks, Mom! She came up with the the name “King of the Boreal Forest” – and right then I knew that it was perfect.
Boreal forests not only house many of the moose in our world, they are also a place where the aurora borealis can be observed – the colorful, dramatic, and entrancing display of lights that appear as a result of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter Earth’s atmosphere.
The bull’s name had to be “Aurora”, as his colors match the night sky in the boreal forest.
I present to you “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest
WOW, Erin! I’m absolutely loving the realistic detail combined with the almost-neon, fantastical colors. So very cool! And this makes me really excited to see what you do next, but I hope you bask in the glow of this amazing creation for a while!
You’re the best, Rebecca, thank you! I have the moose propped up on my piano, so I can see him from almost everywhere on our main floor. In fact, he’s staring at me right now, so I have many opportunities to stare right back at him. My next painting is a commission for a realistic grouse, so the bright colors will be taking a brief break, but I’m excited to experiment with them further in the very near future.
Thanks again!
He’s beautiful. They are all around here, too. I have heard them and seen their tracks even on “my” golf course, but I have not seen one.
They are SO sneaky, Martha! I have a friend who lives just outside of Denver and she has a spot where she observes and photographs moose almost every time she goes. If I visit, we’ll have to take a hike with her so we can see them. Thank you very much for your compliment, Martha!
Absolutely wonderful, Erin.
Thank you so much, Tracy!
That’s a powerful king, Erin. Well done!
Thank you very much!
Erin! You just keep getting better and better! I blooming love this one!
I’m so happy you ❤️ this, Josy! This bull moose was so much fun. Xx
I think this is great!
I’m so happy you like this colorful guy, Tracey! Thanks so much for your compliment.