Golden Hour

One of my new favorite pieces to date!48x60” • Oil on canvas Painting this guy was SO much fun! I’ve painted a lot of bison over the years, but with this one, I wanted to push things — experimenting with a black background and playing with harsher light and bold color. I’ve always loved the tension between abstract color and realism, but for me, it goes deeper than that. It’s the balance of planning vs. impulse. Rules vs. doing whatever the hell you want. It’s about meeting in the middle to create something whole — and that’s what I love most. Honestly, it didn’t all go smoothly at first. The scale felt off, the eyes looked too cartoonish, and the lighting felt too harsh (though probably just in my head). I ended up doing an online critique with you all, and I couldn’t love the final piece more.