Bighorn Sheep Rut, 2020
Not all was lost in year 2020. The Bighorn rut occurs annually, from end of October through end of November, and though busy with creating art and teaching online classes I tried hard to not miss a second of it. I am happy to have come away with thousands of reference photos, of which a select few will be chosen in upcoming art. Bighorn are such great subjects for my art with their impressive muscles, dark coats and gorgeous textured battle-worn horns.
Observing Bighorn Sheep rut, 2020. Photo © Dan Glanz
My favorite wild animal and largest of wild sheep in North America, the Bighorn keep me mesmerized and wanting to know more about them. This year new insights will weave their way through my visual stories depicted in new works.
This mountain dweller is extremely agile and nimble, able to move quickly over steep and uneven surfaces with their spongy hooves. The ram's bulky body grows to over 300 pounds, they can judge distances accurately with their keen eyesight when jumping from boulder to boulder or near-smooth, towering rock walls. Can you spot the ram below?
Bighorn rams are renowned for their spectacular rutting season among fierce competition. During the fight, rams will face each other, rear up on their back legs and crash their huge horns and all their weight into each other, a sound that echos through the canyons. After a series of crashes, one of the rams ends up submitting and the victor wins the right to breed the herd ewes during this important breeding season.
A rather docile animal, they tolerate humans more than they should, seem to have a perpetual smile on their face, don impressive curled horns that are a symbol of status and weapon used in epic battles.
Now that the rut is over, I am re-focused entirely on studio work and teaching. And, of course I am pouring over my photos and carefully choosing the best to depict in new work. Until next year, thank you for the memories, my beloved sheep. You are simply awesome.
All photos © JulieBender.com 2020
