"BigHorn"
Oil on canvas
The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is one of two species of wild sheep in North America — and the most immediately recognisable. Those horns that curl in on themselves over the years, that can weigh up to 14 kg — as much as the rest of its skeleton. Not like a trophy — like a sculpture. It is absurd. It is magnificent.
I wanted to make a close, frontal portrait that offers no escape. The background is neutral, almost abstract — all the space is his, for those horns that invade the frame. The cold mountain light models the volumes with an almost mineral precision, each groove telling a year of life, a winter weathered in the scree of the Rockies.
There is also an unexpected story in this painting. The bighorn is no longer endangered today — not despite hunters, but partly because of them. The collaboration between hunters and conservationists has enabled the formation of conservation groups that ensure the species remains abundant. That is the complexity I love in nature: nothing is simple, everything is connected.
BigHorn. A name that says exactly what you see: those great horns, and behind them, the calm eye of an animal that has all the time in the world.
I — Original Work
"BigHorn"
Original work sold — Private Collection
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II — Canvas Editions
Numbered art print, hand-signed by the artist. On 375 gsm matte canvas. Comes with a certificate of authenticity and the artist's double signature.
Shipping: rolled in a tube or framed ready to hang.