Sperm Whale III

Description

MEDIUM: Oil on panel
IMAGE SIZE: 9" x 17.5" x 2"
OVERALL SIZE (INCLUDING 'FRAME'): N/A

This is my third but likely not final painting in what has now become a bit of a series... Maybe you’ve guessed it and maybe you haven’t, but sperm whales are endlessly fascinating to me and, because of their shape, color and general behavior, produce some wonderful and dramatic images.

This is the most dramatic approach to date, as the animal seems to loom over you, mouth agape. I very much enjoyed this work, mostly due to the fact that, in this case, a much overshadowed piece of sperm whale anatomy is front-and-center... Somewhat ironically, the mouth of the largest living toothed creature on the planet earth is dwarfed by its massive head, but not in this case, and I chose the image for that reason.

As usual, the painting is varnished and wired, ready for hanging. Unlike most of my other works with deep cradles, the sides of “Sperm Whale III” are finished with a mottled ‘Prussian blue’ glaze over a white base to bring out nice, contrasting textures.

Added on Nov 12, 2009