Gary says “Spending seven days with Wolves was
amazing. When I first met the pack, the director of the Iberian Wolf recovery
centre, Robert Lyle, suggested I offered my hand to them. They licked then gently
nibbled my fingers. By showing I trusted them, they in turn, trusted me.
“Over
the week, I spent many hours watching, photographing and playing with the
Wolves. I joined the pack in their massive 17 hectares of woodland enclosure on
a number of memorable occasions. This really helped me decide on which
individuals to draw.
“I
definitely wanted the powerful presence of alpha male Sandalo involved, and the
handsome beta male Forsco. I then decided on the smaller, more delicate Morena
to complete the trio. I grouped them closely together to convey the feeling of
harmony that existed within the pack for real.
“Over
one hundred hours later and the drawing was finished. At the time, this was by
far the longest I had spent on a single piece but nowadays 100+ days is common
place in my quest to improve. I know time spent doesn’t necessary equal quality
though.
“I
was very satisfied with Hope for the Future at the time; the commanding
presence, the three very individual characters, the glassy, piercing eyes and
the huge ears. I can also see a number of flaws which I’ll keep to myself!”
