58th Annual Society of Animal Artists Exhibition 84
The Society of Animal Artists’ annual exhibition is now open at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.
Art and the Animal, celebrating its 58th year, will premiere at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art on July 28, continuing its yearlong tour through the end of August 2019, when it will show at several other museums across the country. “The James Museum just opened in April 2018, and we are excited to host the Society of Animal Artists for our first special exhibition. It’s a stellar show, as always, with a lot of variety,” says Emily Kapes, curator of art at the James Museum.
The show, of which Western Art Collector is a proud sponsor, takes collectors on an enthralling expedition, exploring all manner of wildlife, from grizzly bears and Rocky Mountain goats, to zebras and African elephants, to blue whales and harbor seals. Artists in the 2018 exhibition include Raymond Gibby of Gibby Bronze, Suzie Seerey-lester, Rox Corbett, Daniel S. Smith, Morten E. Solberg, Debby Kaspari and many others.
A barred owl perches atop an evergreen, his chest puffed out in dominance surveying the land below in Aerial Reconnaissance, an acrylic by Seerey-lester. “Owls fascinate me, and I paint them every opportunity I get. This little guy I found in Canada, sitting at the top of his tree, watching every move I made. He barely moved from his lofty perch where he had the perfect location for an aerial reconnaissance of all around him,” says Seerey-lester. The artist hides her husband’s and her own initials (J+S) in all of her paintings and encourages viewers to try to spot them.
Show of Strength by bronze artist Gibby depicts a hardened moose, prepared to engage. “Head down, eyes forward, antlers at the ready. The bull moose shows his rival that he is ready if they are,” Gibby explains of his sculpture. “When a moose displays his antlers to another male, he is showing that he has survived up to this moment...his size is impressive, yes, but the show of strength is a lifelong endeavor,” Gibby says.
“The woman’s head, so seemingly close to the gaping jaws of the pit bull is quite a contrast,” Corbett says of Dog Park, created using charcoal on cotton rag paper.
“It makes her seem vulnerable, yet at the same time she is obviously the master of this fierceseeming dog. In reality, Alice is a sweetheart, who loves people and other dogs.”
Art and the Animal moves from the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg, Florida, to the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in Oradell, New Jersey, and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas, to conclude the tour.