"Louise McNaught

"Louise McNaught‘s creations feature nature, animals, and the celestial realm in glorious, blazing neon hues, where the animals are God-like, Sublime and ethereal in their luminescence. Not wishing to limit herself or her subject matter, McNaught has a mixed-media approach which usually manifests in painted-drawings on traditional and sometimes unusual supports, such as celestial maps. Her soft style suggests a delicate relationship between nature and ourselves, making a clear point about man’s destruction of nature - which flutters jewel-like in the balance. By subverting traditional representation she hints at darker consequences, yet paradoxically giving animals an elevated status with the neon paint making them look as though they have their own inner light and are literally shining from within. Just as we use highlighter pens to mark areas of importance, McNaught is doing this with fluorescent paint. By drawing the viewers attention to the animals presence and energy, McNaught is hoping to share with the viewer the awe that the natural world inspires within her."Via Artchipel

As I want the animals I create to be fairly realistic yet still stylized I find that looking at the way other artists look at and use animals within their work to be a really useful way to gather ideas about how to draw and colour my own artwork.