Mountain Lion Swathed in Juniper Painting

Mountain Lion Swathed in Juniper Our neighbor called one summer afternoon to alert us to a mountain lion on the loose. We see mountain lions here a few times each year, but never in mid afternoon. He was the biggest one we have ever seen! Ignoring the neighbor’s dog, he sauntered across our yard to stretch out full length around the outer curve of our front walk. Then he walked around to curl up under the junipers in our garden level courtyard. He made himself right at home by nestling into a rock-defined bed of dried juniper needles, threading himself among rocks and the rays of sunlight. He regarded us calmly as we gawked at him through a window. Perhaps he was looking for a place to nap after a big meal and found one in our garden. I worked from a phone cam picture my wife Betty made. He was looking straight at us with a quizzical expression when she recorded it. I thought that the lion’s reddish orange fur would make an interesting picture in contrast with the blue green juniper branches that embrace him and with the light beams dappling the scene. Lion and junipers were outlined against the sunny retaining wall behind. Quinacridone sienna is the base color of the lion’s coat, overlaid by fur textures fashioned from tiger’s eye, sepia, and Vandyke brown. I emptied the paint box for greens. The lightest shades are Fuschite, with medium shading by emerald and turquoise. Darker shadows are of viridian, winsor green(blue), Amazonite, and deep sap green. The interior juniper branches take on a sap green tint that contrasts with the highlighted outer tips.