A Wild Symphony
Dive into the untamed rhythms of the natural world with "Wild Symphony," an extraordinary art collection that celebrates the majesty and wonder of Earth's most magnificent creatures. From the stealthy grace of the tiger to the playful antics of the ocelot and the gentle charm of the panda, each piece in this collection captures the essence of these iconic animals in breathtaking detail.
Ocelot, Pencil on Paper (1988) This was another piece of artwork from my ECU art class where I had to “fill up a wall.” I always found Ocelots interesting as they looked part housecat and part leopard. This was another of my attempts to restrict myself to one color, black. I was about 90% complete when I needed a new setting so I went down to the lake and commenced to finish the drawing on a boat dock. Several people were watching me draw and were complimenting my work. One was an art teacher and sat next to me and taught me how to draw the eye. After a while, a canoe full of kids paddled up and started splashing us as a joke. The drawing was soaked and ruined. I took it to the house and dried it for a few days and there were water stains all over it. I thought, why not make the stains more spots? A close look shows that most of the spots on the Ocelot are water stains
Lower Mountain Fork Rainbow Trout 24"X36" Oil on Canvas Flyfishing on the Lower Mountain Fork River, in Oklahoma, I hiked in about a mile long before daylight. When it became light enough to see I spotted a trout rising and feeding on caddis flies. I had none in my box and was unsuccessful. That evening back at the camp I tied some flies to match what the trout were feeding on. The next morning at daylight I spotted the same fish surfacing. I tied on one of my flies I made the evening before. At the third pass, the trout rose and took my fly. I landed him, laid him on some rocks on the shore, pulled out my camera, and photographed him laying on the rocks with my flyrod and real. I released him back into the river unharmed. I bought the canvas and wanted to use the trout painting as a motivator to paint even while in law school. But, any attempt to finish the painting was unsuccessful as I could not paint backgrounds. The canvas stayed ½ painted in the garage for several years. In 2015 I finally devoted my effort and focus on painting the background. For the first time ever in my art, I painted a background. I spent months painting the rocks and background first before I painted the trout. This was the first time in my entire life that I ever painted a background, and as such is probably my finest work of art.
Eastern Cape Buffalo (1988) Marker on paper African Water Buffalo, Marker on Paper (1988) My art professor at East Central University believed I was way too hung up on details. He wanted me to express myself and be more free. He required me to do an entire art show, and fill up a huge gallery wall with only my works and gave me one month to do it. This seemed like an impossible task with my current methods. I took the largest piece of butcher paper that would fit on the art table, the biggest black marker I could find, and some photos of Eastern Cape Buffalo. The entire work was completely uninhibited effort of putting something on paper, fast, and with no option to erase or fine-tune. The work is about four feet by four feet and took less than ten minutes to complete. It is probably my most popular piece of artwork.
Tiger, Pastel on Paper (2012) Even though Norman High School’s mascot was a tiger, it did not have one picture or painting of a tiger in the school. Since there was none, one day i was asked to paint a tiger’s face to be mounted on a homecoming float. That was lost. So, I drew this tiger with pastels so it would have stark color contrast. The tiger work is completely unique as it is leaning out of the frame (unheard of for artwork). The original now hangs in Norman High with prints in the principals’ offices.
18X24 Colored Pencil on Paper This was an engagement gift to my finance (if she said yes). I was always fascinated by Pandas and how they moved so slow and softly. After studying panda photographs I drew this panda with brown and pink and light green. The hair is elongated along the edges to make him look more like a soft teddy bear. He is reaching out to pat a bamboo stick. It was intended to convey the feeling of softness and tenderness that I saw in my fiance. Everyone that saw it fell in love with it and a few people simply would not rest until they bought it. To settle the matter, I drew on it “To: Deana, From: Wayne.” Those people are still angry with me about that (and the prints have those words removed). Deana and I have been married now for over 35 years.
Shar Pei Puppy (18"X24") Pencil on sepia paper I knew my wife loved bulldogs so right after we were married, I drew her this one. Only after I drew it, she explained that although she appreciated it, I did not draw a bulldog. Shar Pei's are not bulldogs. Regardless, I she likes it and it hangs in our home. The wrinkles and the nose texture fit graphite pencil perfectly. He is a “good boy” setting up proudly.