The American Bison: From the Edge of Extinction Honorable Mention

I created this painting of a buffalo to bring attention to the story and struggle of the American Bison. After once having a population around 30 million, they were nearly wiped out by hunting in the 19th century and have never fully recovered. I communicate the decimation of their species by centering the composition around an isolated buffalo in an otherwise empty landscape of cool colors. I decided to paint this bison in warm colors to both stand out from the background and to take advantage of the feelings warm colors convey. They work to make the buffalo feel alive and also to illustrate the nearness of the buffalo to us -- it isn’t an animal relegated to the distant past, but a creature we still have and that we must help. Watercolors were my medium of choice because watercolor pieces are built up layer by layer, which aided in capturing both the complex textures on the buffalo and in building the scope and depth of the landscape. Finally, I added a layer of ink pen on top to ground the work, which especially makes the buffalo appear more solid and defined.

---

---

Art Medium

Art Description

Grade