Canada
Bruce Lawes, In the Shadow of Greatness, oil, 24 x 36.
“I WOULDN’T call myself a wildlife artist,” says Bruce Lawes, “just an artist who is inspired by what moves me.” Indeed, the 57-year-old artist has portrayed everything from landscapes to equestrian scenes to Civil War-themed works throughout his career. One subject close to his heart is wildlife conservation, and many oil paintings in his oeuvre have featured vulnerable or endangered species like the African leopards in his win-ning entry, IN THE SHADOW OF GREATNESS.
“The title came to me right away,” says Lawes of his tour de force, which features a mother leopard teaching her cub the art of hunting as the pair navigate a camel thorn acacia tree. “To have the infant there, to have the shadow cast on her, it was the perfect title—her mom being the greatness.” The artist created the work using a reference shot taken by wildlife photographer Michael North. Lawes, however, modified his background by adding storm clouds to dramatize the scene. “Sometimes I’ll mix high realism with impressionistic techniques, blurring the background around the main subject,” he notes. “Your eye naturally goes to the sharp bits.”
The prolific painter, who lives on the shores of Lake Ontario, has been busier than ever since pledging significant ongoing support to the Jane Goodall Institute. “Next year is Jane’s 60th anniversary, marking the first time she stepped into Gombe, Tanzania, where she started studying the chimpanzees,” says Lawes of the renowned primatologist. “To celebrate this anniversary, I’m donating three or four paintings that are going to auction, one of them being a leopard—one of my favorite animals to paint.” Find Lawes’ work at Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, AZ; Trailside Galleries, Jackson, WY; and Westmount Gallery, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. —Kim Agricola
This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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