I call it, “The Spirit of Truth.” 9 x 12 inches. The February animal art print for the Art Collectors.
The mediums I used include Copic Ciao Markers, Prismacolor Pencils, and Arteza Acrylic Markers. In total this piece took me about 7-days to complete working for about 10-minutes to 1-hour at a time. Amigo is the wolf I painted from the Brookfield zoo, a local zoo I’m a member of near Chicago Illinois.
I actually have footage of Amigo coming straight up and staring at me for a good two minutes (ok maybe less than that). It was positively BRILLIANT and it set me on the hunt to learn more about this beautiful dog.
The Wolf Pack
Wolves are one of the most misunderstood and persecuted animals in the world. Movies, books, and folklore have fed us lies and created myths about this creature for centuries.
What we don’t understand can often lead to fear and fear can often breed hatred.
Wolves are incredibly majestic, social, and intelligent animals. Within a wolf pack wolves will greet one other by licking around the mouth and nose, almost like a kiss. An extended family of wolves includes old wolves that need care, little pups that need constant food (regurgitated meat to be exact) and a hierarchy of male and female adult wolves looking after one another.
Unlike what most people think, a wolf pack doesn’t just have one alpha, but one dominant alpha female and one dominant alpha male. These two wolves are the ultimate protectors and we’ll sexers of the pack! The FIRST to respond to threats and also the first to mate once a year in the breeding season.
Every wolf pack also has an omega wolf, the lowest wolf in this family hierarchy. While the omega is indeed most often dominated and treated as a scapegoat, their role is to coax PLAY within the pack! These instigators of play help to alleviate tension and stress within a wolf pack, leading the other wolves to set aside there rankings for some time of fun!
Now, the bearing of teeth or tucking of the tail or ears going back…while all this appears evil and ferocious, it’s actually wolf LANGUAGE used to constantly restate this important hierarchy. Every wolf in the pack knows there place and the place of all the other wolves because without this structure the stability of the family would fall apart. The wolves know their survival and well-being depends on this hierarchy, very similar (but not exact) to how lions interact within a pride.
Our Helper
In my own personal walk with the Lord I see the wolf being very, very similar to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not simply a life coach there to assist us with the pursuit of our own personal goals for our own personal mission. Like the wolf the Holy Spirit is this majestic, powerful, bold voice pressing into us for greater submission to God so that we can bear GOOD productive fruit for everyone, not just ourselves!
Like the alpha wolf the Holy Spirit is there to protect us from danger, to correct us when we get off track, and to help us be obedient to God’s perfect plan.
It’s that spiritual “wifi” connecting us to God’s supernatural power, love, self-discipline, and truth! It’s a powerful gift that never leaves us as long as we accept the living God into our hearts and lives.
“I will ask the Father to give you another helper, to be with you always. He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, because he lives with you and will be in you.”
Daily Creative Quiet Time
Here I go! All through 2022 I’ll be sharing my daily creative quiet time routine. I’ll shoot for 10-minutes a day (at least) progressing through a Commission, or an Online Animal Art Masterclass tutorial, or a Youtube tutorial, or artwork for Collectors.
For me the creative process involves more than just colorful paint, it’s an act of praise and worship. I chose the phrase “Confidence in the Lord” as my art/life focus for the year. I plan to pull colorful inspiration from bible verses, the valuable lessons of life, and the vibrant paint I get my hands on! Now lets paint.
Most Used Materials
Acrylic Paint: Large Paint, Small Paint, Arteza Gold Paint, Golden Fluid White
Markers: Copic (large), Arteza Markers, Copic (small), Arteza Paint Markers
Brushes: Arteza Detail Brushes, Arteza Mixed Brushes
Paper: Canon Paper, Strathmore Paper
Varnish: Glossy Varnish, Satin Varnish, Spray Varnish
