Nightwarden

A buck rises on his hind legs in the dark timber, reaching for a licking branch overhead. The scene is lit like a trail camera flash—deer bright against the blue-black woods, every detail frozen mid-stretch. Bare trees and saplings frame him while fallen leaves carpet the forest floor in brown and tan. There's something almost mythic about catching him like this, vertical and straining, doing the work of the rut when the woods belong to him alone. Bold impasto brushwork and heavy texture give the piece a raw, physical presence that fits the moment.