Inspired from a young age by his father, artist Daniel Smith, today Adam Smith paints realistic wildlife paintings that spotlight animals in both North America and Africa. Recently, his portrait of a ram, “Full Curl,” took second place at the prestigious Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale (read the announcement here), and is our Realism Today Painting of the Week.
Here, Adam takes us behind the scenes of “Full Curl” and additional wildlife works he has created.
1. “Full Curl”
I have been fortunate to photograph some of the biggest bighorn sheep, including the world record holder. It is one of the best parts of being a wildlife artist. This ram was among one of the biggest, featuring a nice “full curl.” There are no shortcuts to painting the detail. I painted the horns a small section at a time.
2. “Thunderhead”
Each painting starts with an idea. This painting was inspired by a thundercloud I photographed in my backyard. I held onto it for a while until I could figure out the scene I wanted to incorporate with it. Sometimes it can be years to finalize an idea for a painting.
3. “Churning Waters”
This painting took me much longer to paint than anticipated. It was a lot of fun to paint, but the many subtle value changes in the water and hippos made it a challenge.
4. “Commanding Presence”
I really enjoy painting bison. There is something therapeutic about painting the fur. It’s a combination of hair and texture. Multiple layers, from shapes to coarse hair to very fine hair.
5. “On a Mission”
More important than the details are values. That alone can add the illusion of detail. I usually start with mid tones and push from there; for example, adding darker values and lighter values on top of the mid tones. Notice the bounce light under the wolf – it’s subtle but fits him right into the scene.
6. “Winter Chill”
I love painting bobcats. I find their fur pretty interesting with all of its markings. When painting portraits, I usually try to keep the background fairly simple so as not to distract from the subject. Sometimes less is more.
Connect with the artist and view his available works at www.adamsmithwildlifeart.com.
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Blog post prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Realism Today
