Britis h artist
June Walker
wax crayo n
LEFT
Beside the lake
Wax Crayons
ABOVE
Another meerkat sentry
Wax Crayons
ABOUT THE ARTIST: In a colourful style I paint people interacting with animals. Usually, my people and animals
are situated in an imaginary landscape. To make a particular painting, I first search for an image of a person
around whom I build the story. The person can come from imagination, from random doodling, or from a photo
reference. Next, I choose which size paper to use. Currently, I work in small to medium sizes for convenience, e.g.,
under 12 by 16 inches. After I have placed the drawing of the person on the paper, I find an animal that suits the
subject and add it to the design. I try to match people, animal, and landscapes so that they belong together
naturally. Thus, African subjects will be in a landscape that suggests Africa to me. All that remains is to decide
whether to use wax crayon, acrylics, oils, or some combination of mediums. Currently, I tend to work in wax crayons
(neocolor 1) because I love their intense colours and also because there is no mixing involved, which means I can
work quickly to an end result. I arrived at my current colourful style partially via an admiration of colourful works
by Picasso, such as ‘Seated Woman, 1937’ and ‘Portrait of Marie Therese Walter, 1937’, and partially from my love
of colour and portraying animal subjects.
ART
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