My visit to Yellowstone filled me with inspiration. It truly is North America’s Serengeti, a place where herds of wild animals roam free and predators stalk them unhindered. Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons encompass most North American habitats, from the rolling plains to the jagged mountain tops covered year round with snow. Every habitat is home to it’s own specific flora and fauna and in Yellowstone … they thrive!
Everywhere you turn, if you’re watchful, there’s wildlife as it was hundreds of years ago. It’s impossible to not be struck with wonder and awe at nature’s rugged beauty here where Wyoming, Montana and Idaho meet.
In the fall, Elk migrate from their range in the high country down to the valleys of Yellowstone. There in the meadows along the riverside, the bulls compete for females and fend off predators, carnivores like the wolf packs that roam and hunt freely throughout the park’s landscapes.
The bull elk’s massive antler rack serves him well against contenders and predators. He can wield those sharp prongs with skill and deadly accuracy … beware to the wolf that assumes he will be easy prey!
Photographing in early morning at one of the meadows, in the heart of Yellowstone, I watched as a huge bull elk walk out of the mists, his watchful eye appraising whether I was a risk to his herd … He scented the air, then bugled, that ear piercing sound only a bull elk can make, as he did a cloud of vapor erupted from his nostrils and walked on … no wolves here. I named my work, based on this moment, “The Guardian” , because in that moment, I knew what his role truly was.
The liberty I took with this work, was to add a little something to the moment, not readily apparent to the passerby. But, that is so typical of Yellowstone, it may just as well have been the fact and I was just not observant enough.
Encountering a grizzly in Yellowstone will always be seared in my memory. Watching those massive humped shoulders ramble confidently through the tall plains grass towards us I felt my breath catch with both admiration and trepidation. He was master of this domain and feared nothing as he made his way past mere yards from us.
My painting, “River Wanderer” was inspired by watching Grizzlies in Yellowstone and by sitting by Madison River watching the steam rising in the early morning light. Hot water from Yellowstone’s underground geothermal structures feed the river keeping it much warmer than normal and this warmer water helps to speed the growth of the cutthroat trout that flourish there. The plentiful trout are a nutritious food source for Yellowstone’s grizzlies.
I felt this was both an important part of the grizzlies life to capture on canvas as well as beautiful with the heavy mist rising from the tumbling water.
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are so vast and wild, there is ample range for a host of wildlife and the mighty moose calls it home as well. Photographing this elusive animal is challenging, for unlike the gathering herds of elk and roaming herds of bison, moose do not form herds and remain relatively solitary throughout the year.
After many attempts to get close to a bull moose, one day my opportunity came in the Aspens and willows at the foot of the Grand Tetons. Here I had the opportunity to observe a bull moose grazing on the leafy branches, thrashing his antlers as he claimed his domain and finally relaxing in the golden sun. This painting “Solitary Giant” captures a calm, serene moment in the warm sunshine where this giant of the forest peacefully rests.
Considering their massive size, moose are amazingly quiet as they pass through the forest; being able to pass right by you without the sound of a single twig snap. Yet the sound of one charging through the brush, when defending his domain, is akin to what I imagine an avalanche sounds like and hearing that will send anyone ducking for cover!
Pronghorn – North America’s only antelope.
Life abounds throughout Yellowstone, from the wide open spaces of the plains to the vertical rock-faces of the high mountains. Each creature has it’s own special traits that allow them to flourish.
Mountain goats leap from ledge to ledge, where no predator can follow, giving them a safe haven in which to live. On the grasslands, pronghorns race at incredible speeds of almost 100 kilometers an hour allowing them to outrun any predator while they live in plain sight. Bighorn sheep lope up the steep mountainsides with such ease, they leave predators in their dust.
Bighorn Sheep brave the steep mountainsides in Yellowstone.
Having the opportunity to study with Robert Bateman made visiting Yellowstone a double “Once in a Lifetime” experience. He has such a vast wealth of knowledge and experience, I didn’t want to miss a single word or brushstroke.
One day while he taught he painted a Red Tailed hawk right before our eyes!
Hiking through Yellowstone, takes you to unexpected surprises, like these 2 mule deer buck sparring on a hillside or this coyote hunting in a woodland meadow.
