James Hough
New South Wales, Australia, Hidden Paradise, acrylic, 102 x 76 cm (40 x 30")
My Inspiration
The Great Dividing Range along the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, is one of my favourite places to escape to in pursuit of all those authentic backgrounds and props for my wildlife artworks. As you stop to take in the natural beauty along the back roads in the ranges, your senses come alive to the colour and earthy smells that you’re immersed in. Taking time to sit and walk very quietly along hidden tracks always reveals little pockets of beautiful colour and light or opens up to vistas of distant mountain ranges and deep misty valleys. Such a vista revealed itself to inspire me to produce Hidden Paradise. Australian king parrots inhabit these mountain hideaways along with a myriad of other birds and animals all adding their voice to the chorus that is the Australian bush.
My Design Strategy
I set out with this artwork to make Hidden Paradise as much a story and display of the misty mountain habitat as of the king parrots. To present the grandeur and mystery of the mountains I decided that a large portrait format was required. I chose a 40-by-30-inch stretched canvas. My intention early was to provide enough detail in the background and middle distance that would allow the king parrots to seem immersed in their environment. I really loved the textures and microenvironment of the foreground tree trunk and the beautiful staghorn that would be used to distribute and balance the birds’ positions. I had to carefully consider the intense colouration of the king parrots and how they would harmonise with the overall image.
My Working Process
My usual process starts with a pencil sketch. For this work, I sketched in the foreground tree and birds. Then I began blocking in from the sky and far background and progressively moving forward to the middle distance. I really enjoyed stippling the foliage and then providing highlights and shadows to add the required varying depth. Generally, the rule for achieving greater depth in a landscape and most subject matter is the effect on colour that the depth of atmosphere has. Generally, far distant colours are lighter and cooler and progressively become brighter and warmer as you move into the foreground. The application of a wiped on mist in areas created extra atmosphere to this work. Attention to more intense detail for the foreground birds and branch and a much brighter and warmer colour palette completed this painting.