“Silver Buck” was inspired by photos of older white tail deer featured in hunting magazines. I grew up in a deer hunting family learning about Georgia wildlife and valuing the natural wildlife of our state. One of the rarest sights in our state is a buck that makes it past 5 years in the wild. In captivity, bucks can live much longer sometimes up to 10 years or more. As they age, the bone structure appears to change in their face, around the base of their antlers and skull and their fur greys. I think I loved this painting because in my mind, this buck is smiling knowing it somehow beat the odds…