The West Texas wind is notoriously wild, but pronghorns, the swiftest of all North American land mammals have no problem racing it across the flatlands. Built for speed, their spindly legs carry them from predators as their large, dark eyes watch their surroundings in a wide arc, and their oversized ears listen to the sounds of the open prairies they roam. Like all accomplished runners, they don't appreciate fences, though. And they aren't actually antelopes, but hey, if it looks like an antelope and plays like an antelope...
In planning this painting, I especially wanted to place this trio of pronghorns in their natural setting. Using a warm palette of golds, ambers, rusts, burgundies and bright yellow along with earthy browns gave them the intimate connection to the landscape of windblown grass that inspired me to paint these shy, almost comical looking wild beasts. Look quickly though- they're poised to run!
- Subject Matter: Wildlife
- Current Location: Museum of the Big Bend - Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas (google map)
- Collections: Animals, Watercolor Wildlife