Moon Shadow: Part 3 of Naturescape Gray Scale Series

Moon Shadow is Part 3 of my Naturescape Gray Scale Series. It measures 11X14 and is mounted on a stretched canvas. Part 1: Dark Shadow and Part 2: White Lightning focus more on landscapes whereas this piece concentrates on bringing nature up close and increasing scale. Another difference between this piece and the first two in the series is that Moon Shadow was created with an added emphasis on texture. This piece began by gathering and sorting every piece of white to black fabric that I had in my stash including all those wonderful pieces of velvet and upholstery fabrics. Yes, it is true that I did not stay entirely true to grayscale but instead opted for a hint of yellow in the eyes and in other parts of the fur. I think perhaps this added interest. When I first began designing this piece, I did not know if this grey wolf would present itself as feminine or masculine in nature. Once the eyes were in place, she let me know she was a she wolf. It was at that moment that she really started to come alive. The  background is a commercial fabric. The wolf was composed of various hand dyed, commercial and upholstery fibers layered with extra batting to give added dimension and shape.  My purpose was to really focus on texture and making her coat feel as though it was really indeed fur. This is one of the most tactile pieces I have made so far and I am really happy with the way she came to life. Silvery skeleton leaves were added to make her appear as though she is peering out from a nearby bush. She is named Moon Shadow for two reasons. Her setting is amongst the stars and the moonlight highlights her whitish gray coat. Also, I just love the play on words when I refer to my black and white series in terms of tints and shadows for their names. I am thinking that perhaps I should continue on with one more piece in this series featuring a jet black wolf upon a snow setting. I think that could be quite fun! Just wondering if I actually have the fibers make that piece!!!! In any case, I am really enjoying the idea of bringing nature up close by increasing scale.