American bison in Fossil Rim Wildlife Sanctuary near Glen Rose, Texas, knee deep in the purple gayflowers and yellow broomweed that mark central Texas autumns.
We sipped coffee in the dark, our legs dangling from the tailgate of the pickup as we waited for a north central Texas wildlife refuge to open its gates. As dawn broke, large shadowy shapes began moving toward us. We stopped grumbling about arriving too early when we realized we were seeing a herd of American bison wake, then roam through tall grass. An overnight rain had left rivulets running through the wooded pasture, already lush with wildflowers, and one buffalo's cape was tangled with mud. The heavy, dirty animals roaming through the fragile wildflowers begged to be painted. We were camped nearby, so I took about a hundred reference photos, then went back to our RV and started painting.
- Subject Matter: Wildlife