Original Pastel Painting: “The Watcher” (Tiger Portrait)

By Maedbh B.
Price €1,250 Available for collection / Insured shipping available.

The Artwork

Capture the raw, unfiltered intensity of the wild. This striking, original piece is meticulously hand-drawn using professional-grade soft pastels on archival paper. The deep, moody dark background contrasts sharply against the fiery ochres and warm oranges of the tiger’s coat, pulling your attention directly into the painting’s focal point: the piercing, ultra-detailed yellow eyes. Every whisker, hair, and shadow has been layered by hand to create a textured, lifelike portrait that commands any room it inhabits.

• Medium: Original Soft Pastel on Archival Surface
• Artwork Visible Size: Approx. 467 mm×630 mm (18.4″×24.8″)
• Total Framed Dimensions: 645 mm×835 mm (25.4″×32.8″)

Behind the Frame: Museum-Grade Conservation

When purchasing a piece of fine art, especially in a delicate medium like soft pastel, how it is preserved matters just as much as the art itself. This piece has been fitted by a specialist technician with a premium bespoke framing suite designed to protect your investment for lifetimes.

Here is exactly what goes into the framing of this piece:

1. ArtGlass AR70™ Glazing (The “Invisible” Glass)

Traditional glass turns your artwork into a mirror, bouncing room reflections and window light back at you. This piece is framed with ArtGlass AR70, an optical-grade, anti-reflective glass that reduces reflections to less than 1%. It is so crystal clear that it looks completely invisible—allowing you to see the vibrant pigment and deep textures of the pastel without glare. Furthermore, it blocks 70% of harmful UV rays, protecting the piece from fading over time.

2. The Custom “Dust Gutter” Spacer

Soft pastel consists of pure, velvety pigment. To ensure its safety, a hidden dust gutter spacer has been engineered between the artwork and the mountboard. This creates a physical pocket of air, ensuring the artwork never touches the glass. Should microscopic particles of pastel settle over the decades, they fall invisibly into the gutter rather than smudging onto the window or mat.

3. Acid-Free Conservation Mountboard & Weighted Hanging

Hinge Mounting: The artwork is gently suspended using acid-free linen conservation tape. It is never glued flat, allowing the paper to breathe naturally with changes in room temperature without warping or buckling.

The Mat: The artwork is framed with a wide, sophisticated sage-green accent frame, using 100% acid-free conservation mountboard. Cheap mats contain lignin, which turns yellow and burns the art over time; this board guarantees archival safety.

The Visual Weight: The borders are dynamically balanced at 3.5 inches on the sides and top, with a traditional 4.5-inch weighted bottom border. This centuries-old framing technique ensures the piece looks optically perfect when hung on your wall.