Original artwork description:

My artistic practice has its roots in my love of early Italian painting and one of the paintings that inspires me the most is the 'Vision of Saint Eustace' by Pisanello, in the National Gellery in London.

This version of the legend is very different to Pisanello's but uses the same techniques - a wooden panel prepared with gesso, incised water gilding and egg tempera paint made by grinding dry pigments in egg yolk and water.

Saint Eustace was said to have been a Roman soldier who came upon a stag in the forest, while hunting, which had a crucifix between its antlers and which spoke to him in a human voice. Saint Eustace converted to Christianity as a result of his vision.

To me, it always seems a shame that the human world imposes itself on the stag in the story and that is why I see it as a violent event, causing pain to the stag.

I enjoyed diving right into the details of this painting, using a tiny brush to paint the plumage of the pheasant and the badger's fur.

The painting is signed and dated on the reverse and is ready to hang.

Materials used:

oak panel, gesso, gold leaf, pigments, egg yolk tempera

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