'Bison Presence'

(Framed Larson Jhul)

 

Size: 40'' x 38'' ~ Approximately 102 x 97cm

 

Acrylic on 15oz Acrylic Primed Cotton Duck Black Gesso Canvas stretched on to Stretcher Branded Quality 1.8mm Deep Bars.

For this painting, ‘Bison Presence’, and also ‘Tiger Presence’, I really enjoyed something a little different through working on a primed cotton duck black gesso 15oz canvas. Having a black canvas to start from is polar opposite from my usual background of a white blank canvas, but for this painting, it was perfect. I wanted to paint a creature that captures that masculinity of the dominant male of the animal kingdom. The bison was the perfect candidate for the role.

 

Bison are the largest mammal in North America. Male bison (called bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet. Bison calves weigh 30–70 pounds at birth. During mating season, the bulls’ dominant bellowing can be heard across long distances.

 

In May 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act, officially making the American bison the national mammal of the United States. This majestic animal joins the ranks of the bald eagle as the official symbol of the USA ~ and much like the eagle, it's one of the greatest conservation success stories of all time. In prehistoric times, millions of bison roamed North America—from the forests of Alaska and the grasslands of Mexico to Nevada’s Great Basin and the eastern Appalachian Mountains. But by the late 1800s, there were only a few hundred bison left. Had it not been for a few private individuals working with tribes, states and the Interior Department, the bison would be extinct today.