Finding The Way Artist statements by Joel Fletcher

The Sabertooth's Domain

A sabertooth cat roars over a canyon with mountains in the distance.
The Sabertooth's Domain, 2022. Acrylic on canvas panel, 18 x 24 inches.

Smilodon, the iconic saber-toothed cat, has fascinated me since I was a child. What an incredible creature! Many talented artists have portrayed Smilodon since its discovery in the fossil record. Inspired by their efforts, I decided to create my own version of this prehistoric predator in its natural habitat: Southern California, over 10,000 years ago.

An enormous number of Smilodon fossils have been found at the La Brea Tar Pits, right in the heart of Los Angeles. These powerful predators once roamed the same land where millions of people now live! With that in mind, I chose to depict Smilodon in the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, not far from LA. The location features spectacular tilted sedimentary rock formations, providing a perfect setting for the beast.

Creating a three-dimensional effect was an important objective for this painting, and I'm pleased with the result. I used layered mountains and hills, a sweeping deep valley, and a foreground cliff rock, which I textured with sand and acrylic molding paste. These elements helped create an enhanced sense of depth and made the painting literally stand out.

Detail of sabertooth painting.

When it came to painting Smilodon itself, I wanted to capture its ferocious power and majesty. I researched archaeological writings and various artists' renditions to understand this magnificent animal. I created a drawing that represented its robust muscular build and roaring posture but wasn’t quite sure how to render the fur. To solve this, I visited the Los Angeles Natural History Museum to observe the taxidermy lions and tigers and study the flow of their hair. Using warm colors and tiny 000 brushes, I painted the fur in a stylized manner that conveyed the impression of individual hairs. It was laborious work, but the effort was worth it to see Smilodon come to life in all its glory.

© 2023 Joel Fletcher

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