This work in progress is the first of five pieces planned for the Reflections of Nature 2012 wildlife art show this fall in Saskatoon. This tiger is a work in progress because she’s going to be in full colour when complete (the first layer went on last night).
My scratchboard technique is very deliberate, detailed, and pre-planned; particularly when compared to my painting technique, which is much more intuitive, loose, and spontaneous. When I work in scratchboard I feel as though I’ve gained an intimate knowledge of my subject because I’ve carefully observed and rendered every whisker, feather, or scale – like I’ve actually touched the animal while I worked. When I paint, however, I feel like I’ve captured only a brief glance of my subject because I’ve tried to work quickly to capture colour and light before the scene changes – like I’ve taken a Polaroid snapshot.
The differences in the two process are interesting to me as an artist: Perhaps this is why when I work in scratchboard it’s very easy to see each piece as separate and distinct, while when I paint I want to explore the same subject over and over again, for example as with my series of paintings of Smith Point?
Reference photo courtesy Scott Liddell (“hotblack” on morguefile.com).
