the king of everything (preyed protectors)

Apr 16

I caught site of this idea during a “morning pages” journaling session in September (thank you Artist’s Way book for introducing the necessity of “Morning Pages” to me. IYKYK).

This painting was supposed to be a casual, experimental little study which is literally never how that goes for me. Ha. This painting stemmed from my curiosity of what it would look like aesthetically to merge two of my favorite visual motifs together (shells and deer) by swapping out a stag’s antlers for sea shells. I also was experimenting with different painting techniques and the concept of leaving the painting as is, not blending as much and leaving more brush strokes and texture. I have a tendency to overwork a painting to death. I wanted the water to be simple and barely there, unnatural in color for where a deer would typically be seen.

Naturally for me, a painting that derives solely from curiosity will always grow into something bigger. An underlying current in my work is “connection” and especially “connection in nature”. The reason I am so fascinated with deer specifically is because I think of them as this sort of peaceful “King of the Forest”, especially a stag. They are this ethereal, commanding creature, yet they’re preyed on. They are a walking contradiction of power vs. frailty making deer a polarizing symbol in the world of predator eats prey. To be strong, elegant, graceful - yet preyed on, deers represent a peaceful king of power and an inevitable kind of prey. This idea of transferring out a stag’s antlers, which represent his defense/masculinity/armor, for sea shells…. it instantly connects the deer to something bigger.

He is still prey but in a different way, and still strong despite being prey. Scientists have considered shelled creatures “mute witnesses to eons of predator-prey conflict” (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/3/l_013_06.html), creating fortresses and often avoiding their predators. Mollusks and Deer are parallel creatures of prey, just in different environments. With shells as antlers, the stag now represents the similarities prey life in all environments share. Peacefully protecting itself in the forest and ocean. The shell antlers also place him elsewhere or everywhere. Connecting two ecosystems in this painting places the deer as the “Preyed on Protector” for more than just the forest.