Lee, that is absolutely outstanding.
Your use of variegated gold for the sunlight African sky is pure genius.
And the animals.......I can almost smell 'em.
Not too bad for garage work.
really??? i did a .510 N.E. on a Hagn over 25 years ago. D'Arcy Echols built the rifle and i seem to remember it was in Guns & Ammo or maybe Rifle magazine. the engraving was just a lot of small English scroll.
i found the ancient smoke print in an ancient notebook:
For a moment there I thought I was going to see a Big Bore 99 Savage. Biggest one of those I know of is a .458 X 2", also known as the 458 American. A 458 Winchester cartridge shortened a half inch.
over the years of lurking in this place, i have refrained from saying much about the works posted here in so far as my absolute favorites go. having said that, i feel i have to say this marvelous work is my all time favorite work on a gun. there have been many beautiful works, lee-- but none have moved me as this one has. you have struck a real emotional chord on this one !
I think it's funny you think it turned out " OK " . I'm a big sunset /sunrise watcher and this beautiful work brings out the same emotion Monk talks about. I like the scroll spillover around the border and the background treatment. Thanks for posting. Great work to aspire to.