DEER-EST HERD

 

Deer-est Herd, acrylic on canvas, 2022. 16" X 20"

Deer are among the most common and widespread hoofed mammals. Male deer have antlers, which they shed and regrow each year, and the antlers are an important feature to attract mates and intimidate rivals. A deer's developing antlers have blood vessels underneath a layer of skin called velvet, which can help to regulate the animal's body temperature. There are 36 species of deer.

The moose (top) is the largest and heaviest species of deer. Most adult male moose have distinctive broad, hand-shaped antlers; while most other members of the deer family have antlers with a branch-like configuration. Moose typically inhabit forests in the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates, especially North America and northern Eurasia. 

The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis, center left) is also one of the largest species of deer and one of the largest land mammals in its native range of North America, as well as Central and Eastern Asia. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitats, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers which they shed each year. The common name elk, used in North America, creates confusion because the larger moose is also called elk in British English. 

The reindeer or caribou (Rangifer tarandus, center right) is a species of deer known for inhabiting the cold northern polar regions, including the Arctic, sub-Arctic, tundra, northern forest, and the mountainous regions of northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. Reindeer are unique among deer in that females may also have antlers. Reindeer have a double-layered coat of fur to allow the animals to regulate their core body temperature. 

The European fallow deer (Dama dama, bottom left) is a deer commonly found in Europe and Turkey. It sports a chestnut brown coat with white spots, which are most visible during the summer season. Agile and fast in case of danger, fallow deer can run at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (30 mph) over short distances.

The axis deer or chital (Axis axis, bottom right) is native to the Indian subcontinent. Like the fallow deer, it has white spots on its mostly-brown fur. Axis deer have a pair of three-pronged antlers which emerge as soft tissues (known as velvet antlers) and progressively harden into bony structures (known as hard antlers). They are active during the day and are gregarious, living in large herds of up to 40 or 100 individuals.

Artist's statement

The artist, who has a fondness of drawing animals, puts together a variety of deer species into a single artwork, with the notion of bringing several different species of deer from all over the world together in one picture living in harmony and free to mingle with each other. In this way the artist also intends to convey the concept of freedom of unity among the variety of life, as he has applied in some of his other artworks involving grouping animals of different species based on family groups or similar features. To him, freedom is not just about being free from oppression, repression or suppression of ideas - it is the freedom of interaction among several different ideas.

The deer is a sign of wealth, good health, long life and abundance when viewed as one of the Chinese Feng Shui animals. The word "deer" is a homophone of "dear", another word for "costly", mirroring the wealth aspect.