Canyon Cougar was Inspired by a documentary on the Grand Canyon along with a bunch of still photos I had access to. I decided I wanted to do a painting with at least a section of a canyon. After thinking about it for a little while I decided a cougar would be the perfect choice for the subject, a very elusive predator with similar colors of the rocks and cliffs. I designed this original composition that places the cougar on the edge of the rim, creating a sense of tension while showcasing the vast canyon stretching off into the distance. Also to add depth and dramatic lighting I set the time to late in the day.
This painting became a study in atmospheric perspective, using progressively cooler blue tones to create the immense depth of the Canyon. Warm oranges, soft salmon hues, and earthy browns in the sunlit rock formations contrast with the cool blues of the distant canyon and river below, while carefully controlled lighting defines the cougar against it's surroundings. Also at the time I was experimenting with repetitive shapes, and overall formats of the composition as a whole. So as I was working on the piece I started noticing the cougar was mimicking the shape of the rocks he was standing on, kind of like a reverse lazy C. So I figured I would carry it further. I noticed the dark blue section of the canyon and plateau next to it in the upper right corner, were leading back down toward a section of sunlit Rock and the cougar's head. So I brought the next plateau coming from off the gesso board in towards the side of his head and neck. The final thing I did was to curl the dark blur river right into the curved rim rock he is standing on. So everything in the right corner is acting like a bracket and leading back toward the subject. The result is a balanced composition that captures both the beauty of the landscape and the power of the animal on the edge.
