The Painted Bison

The bison is the first acrylic painting that I attempted as an abstract with spray paint.  This one, like many of my other paintings begin with a thin wash of a single color for the back ground then additional colors and tones layered on before painting the subject and then again after.  The use of spray paint was inspired from my love for Graffiti mural art.  Since I was a young girl, I have admired graffiti art and tattoo/body art.  A small part of it may have been the rebellious nature it was associated with at that time, but also in part because of its striking elements and the way it could grab one’s attention.  I am always watching videos of graffiti artists painting.  While I was painting the Bison, I decided, “what the hell, let’s try out some spray paint.”   Well, I can tell you it is definitely not as easy as these professional graffiti artists make it look on YouTube! 

The Bison was originally painted to be a gift for someone who was going to let me hang some of my work in their restaurant.   Their plans changed.  So the Bison came available for sale. 

-by Katy L. Casillas Gray, (KLCG) artist