SPIRIT TIGER
| © Copyright 2007 Eric Wilson All rights reserved |
Only now do I hear the dulled sound of snow being squeezed under soft and heavy paws. It is
he, the behemoth, the legendary Amur tiger, largest of all the big cats striding effortlessly
towards me with a fluidity of movement that belies his immense weight and power. His wild
eyes pierce the mists and his jaw hangs loose revealing his tongue and glistening teeth.
Despite the intense cold, he is panting to keep himself from overheating. He stops before me
turning his head as if to see where I am hiding and exhales powerfully with a sound so deep I
feel it in my chest. His hot breath freezing instantly in the air. I hold my own breath for fear he
will hear it but my heart beats so loudly I am sure It will betray my position. For what seems an
eternity he stands frozen, the image of untamed wildness, and then miraculously he turns his
mighty head again sniffing the snow as it tickles his nose and disappears silently into the fog.
I am left traumatized and yet wondering as silence returns "Was all this just my imagination?
or did that really happen?"
I have taken many, many walks in tiger forests carrying nothing more than a bamboo stick
and believe me, the fear of meeting a tiger when you are on foot is a very deep primordial
feeling that probably lodged itself into my subconscious. You don't think so much of it at the
time, but later in those quiet moments, you imagine the nightmare 'what if?' scenarios.
The irony of course, is that the tiger has far more to fear from man than we have ever had to
fear from him.
I decided it would be good to paint my dream. It was quite a challenge. I attempted it once
before with the painting 'Greeting the first snows of winter' and this time I wanted to make it
more up close and personal.
I hope you like it.
he, the behemoth, the legendary Amur tiger, largest of all the big cats striding effortlessly
towards me with a fluidity of movement that belies his immense weight and power. His wild
eyes pierce the mists and his jaw hangs loose revealing his tongue and glistening teeth.
Despite the intense cold, he is panting to keep himself from overheating. He stops before me
turning his head as if to see where I am hiding and exhales powerfully with a sound so deep I
feel it in my chest. His hot breath freezing instantly in the air. I hold my own breath for fear he
will hear it but my heart beats so loudly I am sure It will betray my position. For what seems an
eternity he stands frozen, the image of untamed wildness, and then miraculously he turns his
mighty head again sniffing the snow as it tickles his nose and disappears silently into the fog.
I am left traumatized and yet wondering as silence returns "Was all this just my imagination?
or did that really happen?"
I have taken many, many walks in tiger forests carrying nothing more than a bamboo stick
and believe me, the fear of meeting a tiger when you are on foot is a very deep primordial
feeling that probably lodged itself into my subconscious. You don't think so much of it at the
time, but later in those quiet moments, you imagine the nightmare 'what if?' scenarios.
The irony of course, is that the tiger has far more to fear from man than we have ever had to
fear from him.
I decided it would be good to paint my dream. It was quite a challenge. I attempted it once
before with the painting 'Greeting the first snows of winter' and this time I wanted to make it
more up close and personal.
I hope you like it.
Amur tiger
Oil on masonite
32 x 24 inches
Oil on masonite
32 x 24 inches
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