Painted in Sept. 2026. 8”x8”.
Acrylic on stretched canvas. Price $88.00 Cdn. Unframed
As the second 8”x8” donation to the qathet Arts Centre fundraiser, I chose to explore the idea of texture. More specifically, I wanted to see how well I could paint sunlight and shadow on fur. For this painting, I used the grisaille technique (first painted it monochrome in black/white/gray and then using acrylic glaze painted over the underpainting with various colours to create depth and texture (dark Prussian Blue for the background, a light green for the plants and then various yellows, oranges and reds for the fox).
I chose a fox as the subject of this painting, because of the rich tones of red and orange which stands out nicely against the green plants and the dark blue/green background. Also, because I find foxes both beautiful and fascinating.
Once again, since it was a small painting and I wanted it to stand out from a distance, I chose a dark background to make the form of the fox easily identifiable. To establish the texture of the fox’s fur, I emphasized the crisp black shadows created where the hair of the fox’s fur breaks in different directions. These shadows also made some interesting pattern in the painting and indicated the underlying form of the fox. Lastly, I wanted to paint the fox to appear absolutely still, as if trying to smell the location of that evening’s dinner.
