Rabbit. 8x10, oil on linen panel. 2017
This rabbit is done from an older reference photo that I'd been saving (the rabbits in the local park in Seattle are domesticated ones that have been released into the wild and seem much less interesting). The palette is just cobalt blue, burnt sienna and yellow ochre over an ultramarine/raw umber wash.
Like many of my animal paintings, I decided to paint over a semi-abstract background. It may seem like a very dull choice, but it's a good way to keep the viewer's attention on the subject - there simply isn't much else going on in the picture and the rabbit is able to take center stage.
It's just about impossible to paint grass explicitly in a close-up painting like this. Oil paint doesn't lend itself to a good representation of grass at a scale where individual blades are visible, so it's best to avoid it altogether!