The Silence is Broken Wild Turkies Oil Painting

The Silence is Broken is my fine art oil painting of two wild turkeys in action vying for the ladies of their domain. One is an older tom and the other is a young tom flying in the background.

I love action paintings and this one allowed me to depict two different kinds of action. The old tom almost motionless taking slow determined steps while gobbling calls to possible hens that he wants to mate. The younger and flying tom allowed me to render a more blurred figure in full throttle action blending into the background. 

The older tom gives you the impression that hens should come to him while the younger is overly eager to come to any who will accept his presence. One a ball of energy and the other a time worn victor of battles waged in victory and defeat.

You can see the old tom is excited, as the flesh on his bill has expanded with blood.

The grass in this painting was a real treat topaint using many layers and my wet into wet painting technique. I took grass from a field with gold, raw sienna and burnt sienna tones to use as a reference for the painting of the foreground.

Luckily, I stumbled upon a turkey feather in the yard that helped with painting the wing feathers.

Getting to delve deeply into a wildlife subject is such bliss as you get such a deep understanding of a wild animal.

The turkey’s description is not a turkey but a wild turkey. They have spurs that they can and will use as weapons. Male turkeys can reach heights of 48″. The wingspans can be as much as six feet. They are easily the largest bird in the entire domain they inhabit. I would love to do a full size turkey one day.

The iridescent colors of their feathers are remarkable. One described them as “unmistakable.” Quite true, as they are readily identifiable from other birds with their unique personality and physical build. They are both ugly and beautiful at the same time. The long beard on the breast of the male is legendary amongst all who are familiar with the bird that symbolizes our day of Thanksgiving.

Its habitat is oak woodlands and pine forests. They can have a brood as large from 8 to 15 in number. Its range is most of the southern United States and as far north as New England.

The wild turkey was near to extinction at the end of the nineteenth century. “Now, with protection, restocking programs, and the return of the mature forests favored by turkeys, this species is making a marked comeback.” I for one see a lot more where I’m from than when I was growing up. They are a real treat to watch with their enjoyable antics.

I referenced National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Eastern Region by Bull and Farrand, Jr. for this article.

Thank you for stopping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse. 

Royal Lineage Whitetail Deer Oil Painting

“Life can mean nothing worth meaning, unless its prime aim is the doing of duty, the achievement of results worth achieving.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy later said, “After all, the saddest thing that can happen to a man is to carry no burdens. To be bent under too great a load is bad; to be crushed by it is lamentable; but even in that, there are possibilities that are glorious. But to carry no load at all — there is nothing in that. No one seems to arrive at any goal really worth reaching in this world who does not come to it heavy laden.”

Royal Lineage Whitetail Deer is a fine art oil portrait of one of the most regal of all animals. Just their stature gives you a sense of their royalty.

 Their ability to evade trouble in a split second going from standing still to full throttle away from harm is symbolic of a leader’s ability to avoid entangling circumstances. They can reach speeds of up to 36 miles per hour.

The buck is more of a social animal than the doe most of the year, forming a hierarchal dominance tier which changes often and disbands shortly before the rut begins. The beginning of rut is marked by bucks losing the velvet on their horns and increased sparring for dominance. During breeding season a buck tries to dominate other bucks.

A crown fit for a king they wear with great pride, holding it high and regally often with a gleaming stare at competitors. It also blends extremely well in the woods as a tree like structure. A buck’s antlers have the main beam jutting forward and several unbranched tines behind with a small brow tine. The antler spread can be as much as three feet giving the whitetail a crown indeed. They use their crown to make rubs, polished oblong scars left on sections of trees, bushes, and saplings low to the ground; made when a buck lowers his antlers to rub against a bush to mark territory. A buck leaves his scent on these rubs through glandular secretions. This buck was a seven pointer and had some big rubs (yes I added a few tines) that marked his domain well. Well-used trails are easy to spot as they are wore down considerably with tracks, broken twigs and bare spots. They are often spotted around my area out grazing with the animals on the farms of North Georgia.

 

The color of a whitetail varies in summer when their coat can be a tan or reddish brown and in winter a grayish brown. I photographed this buck in late October and it still had a lot of reddish brown which I emphasized in the painting to make him pop off the background as he is gradually revealed from his atmospheric surroundings.

Bucks as large as this one definitely protect their territory as any king would his realm challenging all comers.

In true chiaroscuro fashion this whitetail dramatically comes off the page revealing a regal carriage and demeanor. Even the background color was chosen to heighten the royal appearance of this grand animal having traces of Ultramarine Violet. I often get such great enjoyment from watching these gorgeous animals close to my home. My creative realism technique is well suited to paintings of this size. The drama just drips from the painting allowing the viewer to gain some new perspective each and every time they view it.

Royal Lineage Whitetail Deer was designed to hold a person’s attention riveted to the painting. Just as he rises up off the painting he sinks into it blending into his surroundings subtly and softly. The blended edges lead your eye around keeping you attracted to this grand portrait of royalty.

Some information used in this blog can be found in the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals by John O. Whitaker, Jr. (1998).

Thank you for stopping by Boyd Greene Fine Art for a browse.