In this painting I am examining the inter-connectedness of man and nature, and the tranquility found in embracing the beauty of nature. The hart is loosely modeled on the American elk and is modeled after a reference photo I took of a trophy I found in a small mountain mercantile. The setting is a granite outcropping in a birch grove, tying in one of my favorite trees to symbolize my love of the forest and ethereal environments. The reference photos for this painting were taken at the same location as the photos I used for my Study for a Dryad painting.
I feel this painting has been a journey of growth for me as an artist, both in the ambitiousness of its size, and the development of the narrative painting itself. There is something very compelling about this concept to me that I look forward to exploring further in the future.