ANIMAL KINGDOM Collector’s Focus: Wildlife Art
If you’ve ever wondered why ravens are black, don’t look to history books for the answer. In ancient Rome, where they were considered a symbol of bad luck, possibly because they eat carrion, Apollo sent a white raven off to spy on his lover Coronis. When the raven returned to tell him that she was cheating on him, Apollo scorched him in his rage—turning him black.
Ravens appear in the stories of cultures around the world. Among the Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, ravens feature in creation stories. Among some tribes the white raven transformed itself into a baby and discovered where an old chief was hiding the light of the sun, moon and stars. He discovered the light in a box hidden in the chief’s house. Returning to his raven form he stole the box and flew out of the house’s smoke hole, turning himself black from the soot.
Preston Singletary is a Tlingit glassmaker who brings a new medium to the expression of traditional storytelling. He says, “The artistic perspective of Indigenous people reflects a unique and vital visual language which has connections to the ancient codes and symbols of the land, and this interaction has informed and inspired my own work.” Among his many interpretations of white and black ravens is his cast glass Raven and the Box of Daylight, which not only relates to the story of Raven’s bringing light to the world, but is animated by light itself as it passes through the translucent glass.
Jane Rosen also uses glass in her Raven on New Stone. Rosen reduces the often scruffy bird to its sleek essence, no longer simply a bird, but a physical connection to a non-physical realm. Rosen grew up and
began her career in New York City. She now lives on a horse ranch in Northern California where she can observe birds and other animals in their natural environment. She says, “What I found is that animal nature is a key for us to understand our own nature. The relationship of their nature to the forces of nature all comes down to a kind of sacred map. The kinds of laws that govern nature begin to become visible in the interactions between these various species.”
Peter Woytuk’s ravens have presence both playful and menacing, whether life-size or monumental. When I sit in my garden watching the many birds, ravens often fly over and settle high in the trees and begin preening and talking. I once mentioned how playful they are to Woytuk, who replied, “Playfulness is a very good word for describing ravens. In fact in the research I have done about these birds, they are so adept at survival that they spend about 90 percent of their adult life just playing, kicking back and having a good time.”
Raven’s need to eat to survive to have time to play. Al Agnew portrays an unkindness of ravens—the unfortunate term for a group of them—harassing a bear who has just made a kill and is ready to enjoy it. Ravens are omnivorous but more carnivorous than crows. Agnew portrays the birds in multiple aspects of flight displaying their often 4-foot wing spans and the awesome interplay of feathers and wings. Agnew says, “I love to travel, to see and
“Wildlife art is a tribute to honor animals and animal lovers. The artist can show them either in their natural habitat or a creation of one’s imagination.” – Christina Franzoso, director, Lotton Gallery
experience all the variety that nature has to offer. My goal has always been to portray the beauty and wonder of nature, whether it be a remote wilderness area or the familiar wildlife and landscape of my own backyard. To do justice to any portrayal of wildlife, I feel it is imperative that I get to know the creature and the landscape in which it lives. If one has a basic understanding of an animal and has seen and studied its habitat, ideas for paintings of that animal are unlimited.”
In addition to works depicting the mysterious raven, collectors will find throughout this special section a number of other stunning interpretations of animals across a range of classes, highlighting the beauty and wonder of the natural world.
The artwork of Mike Weber is eyecatching. “I vividly remember the natural colors, patinas and textures on decaying, historic homesteads near my childhood home in rural Missouri, an area filled with wildlife and farm animals. I repeat these aged finishes within my artwork to re-create a sense of history, combined with graphic patterns and bright colors of today’s world,” says Weber. His animal subjects are photographed in the wild, on farms and at rescue centers. The artist then digitally removes the animals from their natural environments and places them over colorful, graphic urban visuals, allowing the viewers to see animals in a new and more relatable context.
Geoffrey Smith’s Walter White, which depicts a great white shark swimming almost directly toward the viewer, is hauntingly beautiful. “My artistic career has had transitions that have filled me with wonder and delight…Both shark and wolf filled me with fear and fascination as a child,” says the artist, who owns
Aries East Gallery in Brewster, Massachusetts. “These misunderstood predators have roamed their respective kingdoms for centuries both facing extinction…I’m striving to portray both of these magnificent and often maligned creatures with reverence and grace, as well as a sense of awe that they still roam among us on this land and these oceans.”
Artist Frank Gonzales’ elaborate birds are available through Lotton Gallery, showcasing American art in Chicago. Gonzales’
colorful palette complements his eclectic birds in meticulous fashion. In Ashley Anne Clark’s latest Bear & Cub, she shows animals in her unique way of using mixed media and oil. Yana Movchan’s On the Hill displays a brilliant rooster in full detail, showing a sense of the animal’s character. Simon Balyon paints a shepherdess taking the sheep into pasture, a daily occurrence in Old Dutch life.
Tracey Chaykin has a love of nature that propels her conservation efforts and inspires her colored pencil creations. “I actively participate in groups like the Bird Whisperer Project and Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature so that my art, in addition to distributing with others who share my affinity for nature, can be used for the promotion of knowledge and conservation efforts,” Chaykin says. She adds, “In the words of John Ruskin, ‘when love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.’” Her own works are ones she looks forward to sharing with people who appreciate the awe of nature. Artist Cindy Sorley-Keichinger has won a number of awards for her landscape and wildlife art, including first place for animal/ wildlife art at the Arts Without Borders Juried Art Show in 2011 and 2012. “‘If you painted it once you can paint it again.’ [That’s] very freeing for a self-taught person who is trying a different technique,” she says, quoting the great naturalist and painter Robert Bateman.
Douglas B. Clark’s bronze sculptures are inspired by his lifelong love of observing wildlife. His favorite subjects are the big-game mammals of North America and Africa. His works depict both the personality and accurate anatomy of
“I believe collectors should always buy art that…triggers great memories or positive feelings. Wildlife art will always be in demand because it allows collectors who value the outdoors to bring a part of nature into their
homes or offices. When one collects and lives with wildlife art it speaks about the things one cares about and respects: the wide open spaces, the preservation of our national parks and wilderness areas, and finally our regard for all of the animals that make up our world’s diversity.”
– Douglas B. Clark, artist
the animals he sculpts.
“I grew up in the woods of central Missouri and called it my paradise. I believe an artist should paint what they genuinely know and have a passion about. Wildlife and nature is that for me,” says Julie Asher Lee. The artist paints animals of all kinds across a wide range of land masses from Africa to North America.
Lucia Heffernan puts a spin on wildlife art; her anthropomorphized creations depict animals with highly animated expressions often in human situations, and sometimes, entirely fantastical scenarios. “My body of work is an expression and exploration of my lifelong fascination with animals. Through my paintings, I seek to give animals a voice and a personality, while making light of our uniquely human existence. By imagining what animals might do if put in human situations, I stage tableaus that shine a spotlight on both their innocence and raw instinct. This collision between animal and human sensibilities creates a whimsical, theatrical, and often humorous world that viewers can relate to on an emotional level,” she says.
Stafford Gallery in Healdsburg, California, represents 20 emerging and nationally and internationally recognized artists working in a broad range of media. Preeminent among these is renowned wildlife artist Leo E. Osborne, who, among other mediums, creates extraordinary burl wood carvings.
“Animals are wonderful subjects—they offer endless variety, and they never complain,” says Virginia-based watercolorist Alex Tolstoy, who paints wildlife as well as landscapes, florals, still lifes, aquatic scenes and more.
The acrylic paintings of artist and illustrator Ezra Tucker capture the essence of wildlife in gorgeous detail.
“My desire to paint wildlife in a realistic blended contemporary and traditional style allows me to also define the beauty that I see in their behaviors, movements and anatomy,” he says. “There is an honesty about wildlife that is a fundamental definition of reality to me. When I am painting, I become a part of this universal truth. This feeling of connectivity and my ability to participate in it is extremely exciting. A sensation I hope to share through my artwork. I believe that all life shares a sacred commonality linked by survival.”
Returning to Fallbrook Art Center in downtown Fallbrook, California, for the 26th year is Reflections of Nature. This annual exhibition showcases wildlife art and landscapes from artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pastels, scratchboard, photography and bronze in a wide variety of styles. All artists, which include Jeff Nadler, Gary Johnson and Leslie Kirchner among others, will be at the gallery for the duration of the show selling original work, prints, notecards and more. This gives collectors a unique opportunity to visit with the artists who have wonderful stories to share.
The commanding bronzes of Raymond Gibby of Gibby Bronze are well-known in the art world. “I love how art can tell a story to a viewer without using any words at all. Often times I find myself speechless in trying to describe the emotion and meaning of a piece. In my work, I want to tell my stories and also encourage the viewer to find their own further insight. To those that collect my work, I would hope that as they walk by the artwork that they
have collected, they might stop to gaze over the piece from time to time and be reminded of what inspiration they felt the first time they encountered it and also ponder what the work now means to them today,” says Gibby.
Coming from a family of artists, sculptor Paul Rhymer has been a creator his whole life. “A lifetime of fishing, hunting and paddling combined with 25 years as a model maker and taxidermist has set me up as a wildlife sculptor. I’m not sure what else I would do at this point,” says the artist. “Sculpting animals gives me a vehicle to express my love and experiences of the outdoors.” His work has been exhibited in art shows with the National Sculpture Society, the Society of Animal Artists and Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Birds in Art.
Alberta, Canada-based artist Tammy Taylor is a passionate wildlife enthusiast whose animal illustrations, while grounded in realism, are expressive, bordering on the
whimsical. “I never lack for inspiration, only the time to portray all the beauty of creation. The diversity of nature is astounding, and even the most ordinary is often very extraordinary. It is my desire to captivate the viewer and create a visual experience that is both emotional and meaningful,” she says.
C. Kelly Lohr is a portrait figurative sculptor and painter and has been for most of her life. She describes a poignant experience during a trip to Africa when a young male lion escaped from an enclosure and came up behind her. “I wasn’t scared, but to everyone around me, it was dicey,” she recalls. “He sniffed around my head and neck, and then to everyone’s surprise, he licked me all over my face. I realized I had more of a special connection with animals than I had thought, even though I had been observing and photographing them all my life.” Now Lohr is actively painting wildlife, traveling to Africa for those personal observations and continuing to paint portraits.