Depicting animals is a recent venture, sparked by my art students' love of drawing horses, as well as the popularity of animals in home décor. My first custom animal portrait was of a client's prize racing pigeon, which I followed up with a pair of cardinals.
A local art show inspired a set of animals with personality... the meditative bear, the non-judgmental kitten, the approving giraffe, and the congenial duck.
Magical is the light shimmer in the wings of butterflies. The words 'butterfly house' instantly excite in me the desire to photograph EVERY. SINGLE. BUTTERFLY.
When my sister began selling nursery décor, I collaborated with her on a series of baby animal prints. My models were family pets, except for the furtive hare, whom I found under a bush in a parking lot.
After a visit to the Coaldale Birds of Prey Centre, I charcoal-sketched a few of their keen-eyed birds. The ostrich I met at a drive through safari in Pennsylvania.
A friend asked me to paint her two gorgeous golden retrievers… I happily obliged.
The Alberta Bowhunter's Association requested portraits of their grandmaster prize winners; I received reference photos of very dead animals, but with a few adjustments, I livened them up. I had only drawn tame or captive animals before; the wild animals seemed graceful and serious by comparison.
There is something magical about creatures who are perfectly at home on craggy mountains or endless grasslands-- their existence may be perilous, but I like to portray them confidant, capable, and at ease.
I am captivated by the pristine physical patterns, charming personalities, and wordless mystery of animals.
Snail Shell | 2016 | 4"x6" | pencil on paper | $10.00
Most of my paintings and sketches can be reproduced as prints. Email me at dgrisnich@gmail.com for more information about custom paintings, sketches, or prints.