How it started.
It all started out with a Leopard – a beautiful wild Leopard looking at me through the lens of my camera but in such poor light that it was hard to capture. Once I’d looked at the final photo I felt compelled to portray this Leopard with much more intensity and contrast and so the first of what was to become a black and white collection was born.
Where I’m at.
I have now completed 9 “black and white” animal portraits. I say black and white but they include just about every shade of grey as well. All are done in mixed media i.e. charcoal, graphite and pastel. One of the key materials is actually pan pastels and working with sponges, the entire base layer is created from this where the lights and darks are originally laid down.
Where next?
In the coming months I aim to have done another 3 subjects, and I’m exploring a Stag, Eland and Buffalo as the horn structures on the photos I have to work from are fascinating me