Fox & Hound

My third painting is comprised of two smaller portraits which reflect a playful take on the Mannix novel The Fox and the Hound.

I was attracted to this story because of its anthropomorphism, which is a central aspect of my most recent portraits, especially within this specific series. The Mannix story is incredibly sad and violent, while the Disney version is based on an entirely fantastic situation where Tod and Copper actually befriend each other. I decided to simply run with the idea of the two animals and the humanly characteristics they are often said to reflect in folklore and see how I could reinvent the characters in a new way. Foxes are commonly known to be cunning, adaptable, and determined. Hounds are loyal, affectionate, and protective of the ones they love.

I am trying to use my own images for my work more and more, so I wanted to use people I knew that were accessible enough to have personal photos of. I used my boyfriend Matt as the model for the Fox, and used myself as the Hound. While we never started out as bitter rivals or enemies as the animals are in the story, I find that our personalities often demonstrate the folkloric qualities of these animals. I am relatively happy with the way they turned out, and it was really fun to work with a new shape (round). This was the first time I've been able to manipulate the paint enough to let the wood grain show through, and it adds a nice, rustic feel to the two pieces. The forest background feels very flat, which doesn't bother me so much as the focus should be on the figures themselves. I might try to brush up the colors in the trees a bit.