When I painted Morning Buck, I had excellent reference photos of the whitetail deer, but very little background to work with. That gave me the opportunity to create an original woodland setting built entirely around the buck. Rather than focusing primarily on color, I concentrated on the composition---using every element of the landscape to quietly guide your eye toward the animal and keep you immersed in the scene. A fellow Landscape/Seascape painter I painted with in the early years told me a few times "Keep them in the painting as long as you can," that advice became the goal of this piece, and I still hear him say it, to this day on every piece I paint.
The warm morning light catches the buck's face, neck, and antlers, making them the unmistakable focal point while the rest of the body remains softly shaded. Bent grasses, weathered logs, hanging pine branches, and carefully placed trees all work together to lead your eye naturally through the painting. Even the large pine on the right was added near the very end to keep the viewer from following the buck's gaze out of the painting. Instead, your eye circles back through the grasses, trees, and mountains, inviting you to linger a little longer in the quiet stillness of the morning.
I used strong directional light to emphasize the buck's face and antlers, carefully reserving the finest detail for the areas wanted to command the most attention. The surrounding grasses were painted with countless subtle variations, avoiding repetitive patterns and creating a more natural woodland floor. Soft atmospheric layers in the distance trees and mountains provide depth, while textured bark, fallen timber, and carefully controlled shadows strengthen the composition without overwhelming the subject. Every brushstroke was placed with one purpose in mind--to lead the viewer's eye naturally back to the quiet presence of the buck.
