"Gravitas"

The North Carolina Red Wolf - Canis Rufus

One of the most endangered mammals on Earth.

My latest work: 24 x 36 watercolor on canvas

Some paintings arrive quickly, others take their time. Gravitas—a red wolf rendered on a 24x36 watercolor canvas—asked for patience. Over the course of a month, I returned to it in small sessions, never able to push too far in one sitting. It was challenging work, but worth every pause and restart.

I am deeply grateful to the several photographers who generously allow me to use their images as reference. In this case, the source was purchased—a striking photograph by Holly Cannon. Her capture held the quiet power I wanted to translate into paint: the strength and mystery of the red wolf, a creature both fragile and fierce in our world.

This piece demanded my full attention, a slow unfolding, a reminder that some subjects carry weight beyond their form. That is why I called it Gravitas.

I’ve included a short video that shows the painting’s progress from beginning to end—a glimpse of the journey from blank canvas to final brushstroke.

"Gravitas," 24x36 watercolor on canvas

The red wolf once inhabited the Eastern seaboard, from Florida to Pennsylvania, but today, only a handful of these regal wolves live wild in the Albemarle Peninsula of Western North Carolina.

In August 2025, the North Carolina Wildlife Foundation announced that through the conservation efforts of several programs, sixteen puppies were born in the wild, and that ten or twelve appear to have survived thus far.

Please read more about these precious remaining wolves and the ongoing recovery efforts on the North Carolina Wildlife Federation website.

I hope you'll join me for the opening reception of my solo art exhibit, "Reverence," on December 4, 2025, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Leland Cultural Arts Center in Leland, NC.

The amazing Tina Sacramone will cater the food (it's going to be good!), and proceeds from sales will benefit Cape Fear Critters. Their tag line is: "Saving the Wild, the Wounded & the Unwanted," and I had a deeply meaningful interaction with this organization. I'm honored to help them and local wildlife in some small way.

You'll also get to meet Gravitas, who will look you in the eye and dare you not to care.

Gravitas