If you are familiar with my work, then you might notice one particular animal has found his way into more than one collection of paintings.
I'm not talking about birds.
Or dogs.
I'm talking about the orange fox.
Welcome to part 2 of my Frequently Asked Questions series.
In my previous blog post I shed light on what I typically listen to while I work. (You can read the answer that surprised everyone here.) This one addresses the question about why I love painting foxes.
Often associated with mischief and trickery, foxes are complex creatures.
They are cunning.
They are agile.
They highly intelligent.
And seeing a fox in a dream or out in the wild can either be a symbol of good luck or resilience.
These cunning creatures have played significant roles in folklore from around the world.
When it comes to trickery, foxes are the unrivaled masters.
In various cultures, they are often portrayed as sly and cunning tricksters, outsmarting everyone around them.
From Aesop's fables to Native American legends, foxes are the mischievous characters who teach us valuable life lessons through their clever antics.
But my fondness of foxes goes beyond that.
When I was growing up, there was a family of foxes behind one of the biggest trees in our yard.
We always saw foxes out there in the woods.
Looking back, it didn't seem real. It was almost mythical.
Standing still as statues doing our best to stay out of sight, my family and I would watch a mother fox and her 2 pups play in the woods.
These magical sightings came at a really formative time in my life when I was an older child.
And that connection to the woods, that tether to some of the purest and simplest moments as a young boy is still strong today.
For me, the fox represents surprise, delight, and family. I just know that I'm going to have a great day when I see one.
When I paint foxes, I particularly love to paint them nestled in a cozy den...
their home...
their safe place...
because of my connection to my home and safe place.
So the next time you see an orange fox tail in one of my paintings, just know I was painting from a place of pure childhood magic.
Can you find the fox in this Folk Tale Canvas Print?
18 comments
Last year, my brother was in his new home and a fox was at the family room window watching him while he was watching her. I got the print you painted of the large faced fox for him. He saw her sometime later on and she had mange. He researched and put out food with mange medicine that would work for the fox.
He saw her again and she looked better. She has her den someplace on his property. It’s amazing how deeply mature impacts our lives.
Love and admire your work. Thank you.
Read the poem The Vixen by W. S. Merwin. My love of foxes came from reading this and then watching them. I would love to have your fix wallpaper in my laundry room.
Love that you included “Hilltop” (that resides in our dining room) in this post.
I’ve paired it with a print of Summer/Underbrush and directly across from it is “The Weight of the World”, along with a print of “It is Well”. (Echoing the butterfly)
We love your work!
From your fans in New Hampshire.
It’s so interesting – the moments that we hold dear as children. Thank you for sharing that lovely childhood memory with us.
Such a great way to connect to your family by seeing the fox.
It brings me joy and peace when I saw the fox in your paintings.
Lisa