Suggestive Realism: My Oil Paintings Of Wild Animals

Hello world! I am super excited to share my story and artwork with you! I am James Corwin, a wildlife artist, and like many of us I gather my inspiration and references from my frequent travels to exotic destinations around the world! It really is the life... In a couple weeks I am flying down to South Africa to aid in anti-poaching efforts and the protection of rhinoceros. I will be there for 5 weeks to learn, investigate and document the inside world on the poaching crisis so that I may better explain these issues and channel funding to their projects. My previous trip to South Africa opened my eyes to threats of poaching on wildlife, and the story of this is in the article “Suggestive Realism”! I hope you enjoy reading it!

I design distinct oil paintings through a unique balance of gestural paint techniques and precise detail. Focusing on wildlife I create a finely detailed subject often emerging through obscure and atmospheric landscapes. I really aim to engage the viewer through my compositions to stir emotion. I think wildlife in nature is elusive and I desire to capture this reality. This inspires me.

Also, I love creating the larger than life portrait paintings of the animals because it provides an intimate face-to-face moment between you and the animal. It is powerful! I appreciate both fine detail and contemporary art, so I marry the two in each painting with detailed subjects and loosely constructed backgrounds often exposing the underpainting and raw canvas. It's dynamic!

More info: jamescorwin.com

A grizzly bear licks up lady bugs from his paw. I am always amazed by how such large animals can survive on the tiniest things. Grizzly bears in Glacier National Park dig under rocks and logs among wildflowers searching for tiny treats to satiate a midday snack.

Enzi means mighty or powerful in Swahili. Here an elephant and egrets emerge from dust. Often where I visit in Africa the dirt and dust is very red and I wanted to capture that against a blue compliment.

The African kudu is famous among hunters for its unparalleled beauty and unique horn structure. This painting was feature at Dallas Safari Club and Safari Club International. I purposefully furrowed the brow to give the kudu a slightly more intense gaze.

An Alaskan brown bear excitedly pulls sockeye salmon out of a river. I love the colorful vibrancy of the painting and the contemporary black background that illuminates the splashing water. The above and below water scene is an idea I would like to explore further!

A small red fox calmly watches the snow fall. One of my favorite parts of the winter is when the snow gently falls and blankets the earth, it is so silent and nothing is heard but the hush of winter.

One of my most famous paintings. Bison in Yellowstone National Park often huddle around hot geyser mist/steam during the winter to keep warm. The ice and snow begins to build of their fur creating large snowy ghosts.

Satu Kuat means The Powerful One in Indonesian. This is a portrait of a Sumatran Tiger. Its powerful stare begs the viewer to gaze deep into his soulful eyes. Imagine what a tiger sees every day in the jungle. Do his eyes tell you a story?

This is one of my largest paintings completed to date. It is my donation to Safari Club International. In 2016 they have made me their spotlight artist with huge promotion opportunities. This painting honors the memory of Roger, a rhino who was poached at a game reserve I visited while on safari in South Africa.

Descry means to see (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully; discern; to discover; perceive; detect. His watchful eyes beg the question, Mr. Wolf, what do you see?

I have to say this new painting is by far my favorite and best work to date. From a technical perspective, it challenges all my previous work with the deliberate execution of paint and detail while using a myriad of colors within the value ranges… the effect is natural yet beautifully colored. Also, it brings more life to the form resulting in 3 dimensional effects; that is why the muzzle of the cape buffalo seems to be looming out of the canvas. In Africa, oxpeckers and cape buffalo share a symbiotic relationship. The oxpeckers eat the ticks and parasites off the buffalo and the buffalo benefits. These oxpeckers are flying around the face trying to get at the nose for some fresh pickings, which I am sure irritates the buffalo a bit…

Mona Lisa is a stunning painting by James Corwin of a lioness watching the morning sun rise in Africa. The colorful blend of color in tight detail and a loose background is vibrant and exciting. Do you see her subtle Da Vinci smile?

This is one of the most important paintings of my career to date, and the first that has moved me to tears and chills. It is a painting of a rhino named Roger whom I had met while on safari in South Africa. While at the game reserve, Jembisa – An African Bush Home, we learned about the startling horrors of rhino poaching. A huge lucrative market exists for the horns of rhinos which are used as an aphrodisiac. The rhino is killed and the horn removed. Precautions are taken to prevent poaching such as poisoning or sawing off the horn (which is like a toenail) and I believe Roger’s horn was poisoned. He also had 24 hour security that watched him within the bush. A few months after our visit, Roger was killed and his wife Rosie was put into critical condition (I believe she was pregnant at the time… I haven’t heard whether the baby was born or not). This painting has been on the back burner waiting for a time when I felt confident in creating the desired detail, particularly in the cracked skin, to bring honor and life back to Roger. I see the world in complex detail and I find immense joy in painting every nuance of color and shape. Not only is this the most labored over piece to date, but it is signal steering me in the direction I want to take my art… painting wildlife to lead conservations efforts and bring awareness to threatened species. This painting brought me to tears and chills because I feel the spirit of Roger looking out from the painting. Do you?