I painted the Longdown Melanistic Deer from imagination and fleeting glimpses near my studio in Devon. I sculptured the deer into the landscape, building in layers their anatomy, then skin, fur and finally soul. The ‘Black lives Matter’ protests reported on the radio, my thoughts strayed to the fact that we humans are all the same, except for a glaze, an outer layer of skin. That our bones and organs are so similar to other mammals. But staring into each other’s eyes, into the soul, taking time to notice the similarities, allows all veneers melt away, a connection is made. A connected world feels good.
Initial colour study. For this painting I wanted to see how far I could push working with a pallet of three, Raw umber, Ivory Black and Lead white.
