Whispers of Winter 9" x 12" acrylic $1100 In Whispers of Winter, I take you into the eastern slopes of the Cascades, where winter arrives without fanfare, just the hush of snow settling over the land. A bull elk stands alone in the open, his breath rising in a faint cloud that lingers in the cold air. The rut is over, and he now faces a new challenge—surviving the long, unforgiving season ahead. Meadow grasses and sagebrush surround him, their colors fading beneath the first falling snow. Behind him, dark Ponderosa pines hold their ground, a steady presence in a shifting world. The sky is heavy, the air sharp. You can almost hear the silence, broken only by the muffled crunch of hoof against frozen earth. This painting is about that quiet fight—the grit it takes to make it through winter. The elk’s body holds power, but it’s his stillness that tells the story. Strength, earned and honest, standing against the cold. It’s a reminder of how wild places demand respect—and how the creatures that call them home endure with a kind of quiet dignity that doesn't need to be loud to be fierce. |
This blog features highly realistic wildlife, landscape and nature paintings of nationally acclaimed artist Peter Mathios.
Friday, January 24, 2025
Whispers of Winter
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Windswept Solitude
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Windswept Solitude 9" x 12" acrylic $1100 |
Great egrets are masters of patience and precision when hunting. They often stand motionless in shallow water for long periods, waiting for the perfect moment to strike with their sharp, dagger-like beaks. This stealthy hunting technique makes them highly effective predators of fish, amphibians, and small aquatic creatures. Interestingly, during breeding season, their slender bodies are adorned with striking plumes called aigrettes, which were once so highly prized that it nearly led to their extinction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to overhunting for the feather trade. Their protection became a catalyst for modern conservation movements, including the founding of the Audubon Society.