Fox

All week i've been delayed or waylaid on my way home from work, getting in at 9 o'clock. Desperate to paint but unable to. Last night I left work a couple of minutes early to make it home earlier. I almost didn't make it even then as the train doors malfunctioned and wouldn't let me off. I had to run down the carriage to get off.

I got into the car and thanked god to be on my way home. Robin said 'Someone delivered you a parcel today', I assumed another set of packaging materials. I thought about everything I needed to do - packaging up a big order, preparing ymself for the weekend. We got into the driveway and I saw a fuzzy auburn form lying on the wooden table outside the door. I couldn't figure it out - bad eyesight. I got out and went over to it. A little fox, female I assumed and later confirmed, dead of course. "Willie brought it round today" Robin said.

And I remembered, a long time ago that i'd mentioned to the groundskeeper that I would like to see one of the foxes he killed & he said he would bring one around, and now years (?) later there one was. A lot of things went through my head, where was I going to put her, how long until she started rotting? what was I thinking? What will I do with her?

Robin said not to worry, it wouldn't rain, it was cold, I could see her better in the morning. I knew i'd be late for work but what can you do?

The next morning I got up early and got my camera and sketch pad and waited for it to get light and then I sketched as fast as I could - there was only really time for one small sketch of the head and after that I took as many photos as my battery would allow. I wished i'd had more time, but I actually had to go and bury her before getting the late train. This was an excercise in tragi-comedy which i'm glad noone saw.

Here's just a couple of the photos which I managed to get. If you're squeamish, best just not look...But, i'm really happy with the whole lot of them, they've managed to capture some of the very finest details of fur...it is a world of difference seeing a fox up-close, the particularities of the fur, it's quite coarse and bristly. Previously i've given it a softness which it doesn't really possess.

If anyone would like to see better images (the full size versions) for their own reference, just drop me a line (lindseycarr@btinternet.com) and i'll zip them up and send them along.

Comments

[Rekoj]

Wow - such gorgeousness despite the sadness of seeing something so lovely so dead. Thank you for sharing!

[Lindsey]

I know. I was overwhelmed with pity to begin with. I felt pretty bad at having asked. And there was a very unsavoury feeling of voyuerism about using the camera.

It really brought home the reality that most of the historical natural history artists were painting dead animals and posing them as live. The practicalities of which are just bizarre to anyone not obsessed with capturing fur precisely so.

[Camilla]

Beautiful photos- I think you are very lucky to have had the chance to get such a good llok, most of the foxes I see are either running down the train line or rather more 'dead' looking than this one.

[Jennifer S.]

The fox is so beautiful. Your photographs are lovely.

[pen and paper]

Oh, how lovely and sad. In the third photo it looks as though it could still alive. I, for one, would love to see larger images.

The camera is always a voyeur, it's just a matter of degree and intention. I sometimes hate using it, but it's a necessity.

I remember how shocked I felt the first time I read that John James Audobon posed taxidermied specimens for his paintings. (Of course, I was seven and pretty easily shocked by anything.)

[Wendy]

What a fantastic opportunity. Great photos - they will bring much inspiration to you, I'm sure.

[Jennifer S.]

I just wanted to say that the way you painted the hair in your paintings brings your romantic vision of the fox to the viewer and that is wonderful. I love the softness that you convey in your paintings.

[mnem]

Groundskeeper Willie?

[Lindsey]

Thanks all!

For your interesting comments!

Since a few people now are interested i'll post the pics to Flickr and post a link soon. Tried to do that this morn but the upload failed :(

Jeeylon - I know I was shocked too and I was in my 20s. He did some pretty extreme things - What staggered me in the descriptions was the sheer quantity of birds there appeared to be back then. Enough for audubon to kill 100 in a day and not blink. Pretty depressing rate of decline.

And Dave, yeah, we really have a groundskeeper willie...ridiculous!

[ArtSnark]

sad but lovely - thanks for sharing

[selahestelle]

My mother is an art teacher and trained us to be all over dead animals. The victorian naturalist movement really gets romanticized, they cared even less about having dead things be for practical use. Anyway, I wanted to ask, do you live in a faerie tale cottage or something? Your GROUNDSKEEPER leaves a quintessential red FOX outside your door and then he/she is laid upon the most glorious green grass, complete with little flowers and nicely placed rock? You've got to be kidding us with this, right?

[Choklit Chanteuse]

I have a few artist friends who get "gifts" of dead things for their art... sometimes hard to stomach, but I can't help but think - if the animals are done with their bodies, why not use them for art?

Can't wait to see the drawings that come from this gift!

[Kelly Snelling]

when i was a little girl we had a fox stuffed that stood on top of our television. i think my pop ran over it with the car. or someone did. it was so beautiful. his fur was fluffy and stiff but soft. he looked just like this fox you have. call the taxidermist and create a friend.

[Carma]

She's beautiful and you have given her stunning immortality
im your memorial to her

[valerie mann]

poor wee thing....

[Artandghosts]

I am eternally in awe of how mankind so readily destroys.
Then goes on to find excuses and reasons for doing son.
I am of the mind that human beings will not be satisfied until they have violated and destroyed most of what remains truly beautiful on this earth.

And the most surprising part of all - how homo sapiens are the most parasitic, destructive and damaging creatures of all.

Our species embarrasses me. And i fail to find any romance in the scene.

No offense to you, Little Robot. My thoughts are not aimed at you at all.
take care, x

[Artandghosts]

I meant 'doing so', not doing son. aagh!

[buy propecia]

What kind of sound does a grey fox make?
We have what looks like a grey fox in the woods next to our house. It makes a sound kinda like a hoarse scream. Is that how a fox sounds?

[Lindsey]

Buy, I believe that's the sound foxes make when they are in heat. They are mating around about this time here certainly.

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