The Bighorn Sheep

The race or subspecies known as the California Bighorn inhabits the southwest interior of British Columbia. The bighorn’s name comes from the adult ram’s massive, brown, spiraled horns that curl back and down close to the head, with tips that project forward and outward just below the eyes. In late spring, the Bighorn Sheep relish the new growth of a variety of grasses, together with herbs like balsamroot. This original painting was based on a series of field studies, sketches, and photographs of the California Bighorn Sheep, where I spent time viewing a small herd in the pines above Okanagan lake.