If it hadn’t been for a very odd-looking young deer this winter, I’d have never painted this. I’ll call him Rudolph. He was a late-bloomer and looked rather strange. Like his momma deer had been canoodling with a coyote. Noticeably shorter, with pale-colored fur. His fellow deer youngsters thought it looked a bit odd – like the famed Rudolph — and they’d kick him away from food piles I’d leave out in the snow. I bought a bag of granny smith apples, meaning to throw one out to him now and then. These were what I had left by the time Spring finally – finally! – hit northern Michigan this year.
Ah, the usual struggles: drawing the perfect ellipse. Getting the right color. Figuring out how lines distort when they fall over an edge. Highlights and darks on green apples. Distortions that keep a person wondering in the middle of the night. It’s endless. But hark! I’ve run out of excuses: it’s back to plein air landscapes….!
Margie Guyot Art 