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HELP! Name that painting!

Old Buck

Life Member
(This isn't a whitetail topic but I'm putting it here anyway.)

I've finished a new painting which will soon go to print and I'm having trouble deciding on a title. I need your help. Feed back on the potential titles below would help and I'm very open to new ideas also. I'm not smart enough to post a photo of the picture myself but thanks to onecam we're getting one on here.

As you can see it is a closeup of an old male lion. Scars on his face, a torn nostril, tatered ears and a missing lower canine are evidence of past battles. He is kind of like that old buck that has been around for five or six years-lots of character.

Some of the titles we're considering are...

Serengeti Warrior-African Lion
Serengeti Veteran-African Lion
At Rest on the Serengeti-African Lion
Battle Scars-African Lion
Battle Veteran-African Lion
Veteran on the Serengeti-African Lion
Warrior at Rest-African Lion
Resting Warrior-African Lion
The Lion King

In case more background information is helpful below you will find the tenative text which will accompany the limited edition prints and canvases.

"The fascinating continent of Africa is blessed with dozens of species of big game. These range from enormous elephants and rhinos to graceful impala and gazelle to the unique warthog and aardvark. Among the most intriguing animal in Africa is the largest feline predator on the continent, the African lion.

As long ago as the first century the lion was elevated to the position of 'king of beasts' because of its tremendous strength and majestic appearance. Although their habitat is continually being destroyed and they come into conflict with farmers and their livestock, huge tracts of land both inside and outside of reserves still harbor lions, particularly in the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. Here the lion leads a natural life, roaming at will and preying largely on the local fauna.

The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, where Larry first researched the lion, has long been famous for these magnificent cats. Larry found the Serengeti to be a great place to photograph lions because they largely ignore being closely approached in a vehicle and go about their normal behavior. Larry found the lion so fascinating that he took over 2000 slides of this specie alone.

Among the many old lions that he studied, one in particular stood out. It was a battle-scarred old male with a dark mane. It was apparent he was a veteran of many conflicts. His ripped nostril, missing lower left canine, and torn ears were all clues he had survived many battles. Only the old male knows whether these scars are the result of defending his pride from rival males, settling the question of dominance, or territorial disputes with other males. Though the females lead a fairly long and stable life in the pride the male lions life is more difficult. He doesn't mature until age 4 or 5 and then rules for only a few years before being replaced by a challenging male or group of males.

157LionKing.jpg


On the average, lions spend about two hours a day walking and one hour a day eating. The rest of the day, often 20 hours or more, the cats are largely inactive. In "title here" painting, Larry is capturing the old male resting, but alert to any danger or possible prey."

Thanks,
Old Buck
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From the description of the picture I would pick Battle Scars. After reading the text I would say why not just simply "King" or "King of Beasts". It really doesn't matter, your pictures speak for themselves!
 
Larry, awesome painting! I always check your website for new paintings and am excited everytime I see the new one.

I like all the titles except one... The Lion King has been used to much. Just a personal opinion. I like the idea of including the lions homeland in the title. Such as "Serengeti Warrior-African Lion". But, overall, the titles all say what I think you want them to say. The text that goes with it is good too - do you guys come up with that yourselves, or do you have someone right the copy for you?

I know how hard it is to title a painting, I usually have my entire family vote from a list of titles for my paintings.
 
Headgear and adamo,

Thanks for taking the time for input. All your comments are much appreciated. Adamo, my wife and I do all the text. It is all part of my study. The better I know the animal the better I can capture its essence in the painting.

I do the same thing you do on picking a title except that this time I'd like the 'iowawhitetail family's' input.

Thanks again,
Old Buck
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Larry, very nice work. Are you using some airbrush in this painting, great depth. My suggestion would be for "Last Day of the Throne" depicting the Lions exhausted-beaten state. It will not be long before a challenger will take over his leadership position.
 
Coach,

Interesting observation. We in fact did follow this old guy as in a rather agitated state he travelled several kilometers across the plain. I figured he could hear another male answering his roars even though we couldn't hear anything at first. Eventually another large male came into sight. I thought I'd hit the mother load and was about to film a major fight. As it turned out, like most buck disputes this was settled without a battle. After much posturing and name calling both went back where they came from. The more I learn to read their body language and behavior the more fascinating they are to watch.

Thanks,
Old Buck
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I tend to favor "Serengeti Warrior-African Lion". It may take me awhile to think of something worthy on my own - keep posted.
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Thanks guys. Keep them coming. Coach, sorry, forgot to answer your question. Yes, I did use some airbrush in the background to achieve the out of focus effect. I don't like to use a lot of airbrush but it is very difficult to get that soft look with acrylics and a brush.

More opinions, ideas and preferences please! This really helps.

Old Buck
 
Larry, It's an honor to possibly be able to help you choose a title. Thanks for asking. How's about..."You talking to me"? Seriously though I like Veteran on the Serengeti-African Lion. Great looking painting.
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Veteran on the Serengeti-African Lion seems to be my favorite here. Nice work. You really have an eye and hand as far as capturing the spirit of the animal and bringing your paintings to life.
 
You've done a wonderful job of capturing the essence of the animal. I, too, had to do a double take, thinking it was a photograph at first.
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As for a title, I like Serengeti Warrior.
 
It always awes me to see spirit put on canvas.

Veteran on the Serengeti-African Lion

or Weekend with the Grandkids.....
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First off, excellent painting, congrats!

From the list provided, I like the "Resting Warrior" option. My thought, similar to Shovelbuck's was "You wanna a piece of me?!".

Great work, good luck with your choice.
 
Great painting Larry
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and I like Shovel think it's cool that we have an opportunity to help name your latest work. Thanks

-Majesty
-Veteran of the Serengeti
-Battle Veteran-African Lion of the Serengeti

I don't think I can really pick one, as I keep looking over the list I begin to like them all.
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A big thanks to everyone who has responded so far. This is really helpful. There is nothing like getting a perspective from a 'fresh set of eyes'. Also two of the things I love about iowawhitetail are showing up in this thread-the creativity and the great sense of humor of the contributors. Keep it up!

Old Buck
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