"Portent" is an original square painting, with white edges, made in oil on a deep-edge canvas. No frame needed; ready to hang.
Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 1.5 inches.
It depicts an autumn landscape path at sunset with a deer stag in the centre. It was inspired by a walk I took near the Ashdown Forest, in the Crowborough area, in November. The deer stands watching, in that challenging way stags sometimes do, and is ready to lead the viewer elsewhere if they decide to walk the path. I painted this as I often see deer on my walks around Sussex and Kent, and I usually get the feeling they know how to access places that I can’t get to. Out of all the woodland animals, they are the most ethereal as they appear and then vanish so fast, typically with a flash of white bottom that is quite dismissive and makes me laugh.
Traditionally, deer are heralded as spirit guides in many cultures, so I am not alone in being enchanted by the mystery they have. I created the feeling of movement towards the stag in this painting by blurring the edges and making them out of focus while making the deer and centre quite sharp and detailed. I then painted lines of perspective that lead to the aperture with the stag at its heart. I find magic in ancient landscapes, and this is an expression of this fairy tale quality.
https://youtu.be/zgtGSYAud2s
