"This painting was done while visiting with my sister Barb, who lives with a family of deer lovers. Her family hails from a rural area where deer roam freely.
"Consequently, many animals are involved in accidents with traffic. Many evenings her family identifies the location of a herd spotted while driving. She and her husband often pack a dinner and drive back roads to watch and admire the graceful animals. They have binoculars in their home to view newborns in Spring, watch the bucks as they claim territory, and smile as the doe teaches her fawn about the wonders and perils of life.
"They also love the taste of deer. They make delicious jerky, sausage and roasts. They harvest abundant meat, as they also harvest wheat, corn or other produce they farm. One consequence is several trophy mounts on the walls inside their home. If you inquire, bragging rights are lively and interesting. My 10-year-old niece fully participated in the harvesting and preparation of 75 pounds of meat for their freezer for the first hunting season of 2013.
"My urban life doesn’t interact often with these animals. While I sport a log cabin look in my home, I choose quilt wallpaper as an accent. I loved painting this beautiful doe with long eyelashes as an alternative to taxidermy. It is my toast to the hunters who help keep the roads a little safer from an altercation with this animal. I am grateful to the Department of Natural Resources who help to control the precarious balance so deer don’t starve.
"The painting was a test to allow myself to not “fill in the box,” to leave some lines undrawn, some areas to the imagination. This painting won the People’s Choice Award at a recent exhibit." - Jan
Acrylic
30 x 26
Market Value: $650
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