From Christmas Commissions to a Mischievous Macaque: My Latest Primate Painting Adventure

But oh, what a challenge this has turned out to be! The fur is an absolute maze, going in every direction imaginable, and the colours? They’re a kaleidoscope of soft browns, grays, green and those surprising golden highlights that catch the light just so. Capturing all those nuances is like juggling ten pencils at once—equal parts exciting and exasperating. I do love pushing myself with these tricky details, but I’ll admit, there are moments when I feel like the macaque is winning this battle of wits.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a few new techniques to get the fur just right—some are coming together nicely, others... not so much. It’s all part of the process, though, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Each attempt gets me closer to capturing the spirit of this wonderful creature.

Primates are endlessly fascinating to me, not just to paint but to study as well. Did you know macaques are among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom? They share around 93% of their DNA with humans! Watching them, it’s easy to see echoes of ourselves in their behaviour, their expressions, and even their little quirks. It’s that deep connection that makes them such intriguing subjects for art—and why I’ll probably never run out of ideas for new primate paintings.

If you’re curious, I’ve included a photo of my progress so far. You’ll see where I’m wrestling with the fur, blending colours, and trying to capture the macaque’s lively personality. It’s a work in progress, but I’m inching closer to bringing this charismatic little fellow to life.

A big thanks to Steve for the perfect reference photo and to you for following along on this journey. If you’ve ever worked on a project that felt equal parts exhilarating and maddening, you’ll know exactly what I mean! Stay tuned for updates as I (hopefully) cross the finish line with this one.

With all my Christmas commissions safely delivered, I’ve finally had the chance to return to one of my favourite themes: primates. My latest project? A cheeky macaque, brought to life from a fantastic photo my husband Steve snapped about a month ago at Monkey Forest in Trentham Gardens. When he showed me the shot, I knew I had to paint it—there was something so playful and mischievous in the macaque’s expression that I couldn’t resist.