Monday 2 November 2015

#684 In the field: Pronghorn Antelope and Sage Grouse


The "in the field" experience is a necessity for the wildlife artist.  There's no way to convince your viewer that your work is authentic unless you've been there yourself.  Autumn is a special time to be in the field for many reasons . . .
 especially if an artist is in search of game for studio reference as well as meat for the table.

Trish and I both drew antelope doe tags this year and were successful in putting meat in the freezer for the winter.  Wyoming antelope country is austere, vast, and beautiful.   After we filled our tags, we returned to our 
 hunting area several times with the cameras to collect photo reference material and to experience the animals.  
Below, are images taken this September and October.










Below, are images of Sage Grouse.  The big bird is not on the endangered species list but could be soon.
A great time to photograph them is in the spring during mating season . . . the male has a spectacular display!






We do not hunt them for the table . . . only with a camera. Also, from what I understand, they're not very good eating and I'm spoiled with the succulent Ruffed Grouse we hunt in the north country.  Our Brittany, Penny loves to find them after the day's hunt and I was able to photograph the secretive birds last month for reference material that will be used in the studio.  I'm currently working on a new antelope sculpture and a Sage Grouse composition is mentally in the works.  



Below, is an image of an early antelope sculpture created in the 1990s.




Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish


No comments:

Post a Comment