Lioness

I've been painting endangered species lately.  Focusing on Big Cats so far this year.  I was inspired several years ago when Life of Pi came out.  And then Cecil the beloved lion was killed by that dentist in a "canned" hunt, where a "hunter" pays a fee and is guaranteed a kill.  They baited Cecil to leave his sanctuary and he was shot at night using bright lights with a compound bow, only to suffer for another 24 hours before he was finally tracked and killed with a pistol.  Made me extremely angry and sick.  For the most part, I have no issues with "real" hunters, those that obey the rules of fair chase and kill for need.  I do have a big problem, personally, with those who kill for pleasure and sport.   That pretty much defines most "big game hunters" who like to think of themselves as game conservationists because they pay big fees to kill what amounts to captive game.  Lions are being bred in captivity for the sole purpose of becoming prey for big game hunters, let loose into a hunting park where they are easily tracked and killed, with some so tame they can be approached and shot with a pistol at close range.  Wild African lions are extremely endangered because their habitat is shrinking, and they have been hunted mercilessly over the past decades.  Thanks to Emmanuel Keller of Wildlife Reference Photos for the reference I used in this painting.

Lioness, 12" x 12" oil on canvas, copyright K. Widger 2016

Underpainting in saturated colors

Value Study