“Roar”,
8”x10”, acrylic on board
Sometimes I just do a painting for fun.
This little study was about exploring textures and the hierarchy of mouth sizes
for some fantasy creatures. This was done right after university when we didn’t
have much. At the time (over twenty years ago), I came close to painting over
it because the board it was painted on seemed more valuable to me than the image. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I
suspect my wife convinced me not to erase it. This was not an isolated case.
Someday I’ll talk about the power and importance of an artist destroying their
work.
Now when I see this piece it is a warm
reminder of that place in time. It’s a fun little painting, but what it
represents in my history and evolution is what I really enjoy. Based on the
colour palette, I was probably inspired by James Gurney’s Dinotopia which had
recently been published. I was also starting to become involved in painting
Magic Cards for Wizards of the Coast so fantasy subjects were on my mind. In the end I’m glad this one made the cut!
