Canada West Collection

Rocky Mountain Elk Alberta Foothills

20" x 30" Canvas Giclee		$595.00
12" x 18" Canvas Giclee		$395.00
(includes 2" of canvas around all 4 sides for stretching) For dealer prices and bulk purchases please Contact Us

	There is a special kind of knowledge known only to the patient. It is called wisdom and has nothing to do with age...

This painting is of a Rocky Mountain Elk during an early fall snow in the Alberta foothills. When hiking one fall morning I came to within 50 feet of this beautiful animal bugling across a canyon. He would bugle long and loud, and then wait for a reply from another bull. I saw three bull elk that morning, and their whistles echoed up and down the canyon for hours. This magnificent six-pointer is intently waiting for a reply after a long and grunting whistle that sent chills up my spine. I had only the night before pitched my leanto a few hundred yards from where I stood.

I have sometimes stood quietly in the middle of a herd of elk, high up a ravine hidden by dense bush, sensing that I was not alone. Soon, if I was still long enough, I would see an ear twinge before discerning the whole animal, or often just the head, looking straight at me. I have never felt afraid while close to these animals, however they can be dangerous and it's important to remember that we are in their home and we must treat them with respect. They do, however, seem to sense when you represent no danger to them, and if you are quiet they will eventually go about their day, moving silently away, leaving you, once again, feeling alone in the wilderness. I have been left with many lasting experiences like this.