Archives for Wildlife

‘There’s an Honesty to Sculpture’

‘There’s an Honesty to Sculpture’

July 19, 2016 | by

Before Rod Zullo became a fine artist, he was a fisherman. For 10 years, he worked on big sport fishing boats in the Caribbean, logging 14-hour days for months at a time. Those long hours of hard work served as great preparation for him, as he traveled the road to becoming the award-winning sculptor he is today. They allowed Zullo to save up enough money to enroll at Montana State University in Bozeman, where he studied studio arts. They provided an opportunity for him to learn how to schmooze with clients and enjoy the social side of work. They gave
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Trusting His Vision

Trusting His Vision

July 19, 2016 | by

By Utah artist James Morgan never for a moment questioned his destiny. He would be an artist. Yes, there were challenges along the way, but anything worth doing often comes with some trials, and he was not deterred—slowed down, maybe, but not deterred. Although he uneasily glosses over the time he spent working days at a piano factory (something he’d like to forget entirely) and nights at his easel, it’s clear that Morgan has earned his credentials. The rewards have been worth it. And Morgan admits that working in that piano factory got him over a financial hump, while he
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‘Liberating the Spirit’

‘Liberating the Spirit’

May 19, 2016 | by

In the world of art and literature, Tony Angell is best known as an award-winning wildlife sculptor, painter, and author. However, to the corvids, owls, and sea mammals that have long inspired his creative spark, he has become an “angel” in the truest sense of the word. Infusing his stunning stone and bronze sculptures with a spirituality gained through a lifetime of firsthand observation, Angell has created an oeuvre of images whose value lies both in their aesthetic beauty and their ability to fuel the viewer’s desire to fully understand and protect these magnificent creatures of the wild. Tony Angell
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Up Close and Personal

Up Close and Personal

January 19, 2016 | by

In an ideal world, Bonnie Marris would get out for a long horseback ride every day. Especially in the fall, when the trees around her northern Michigan home transition to brilliant yellow and reds, she would love to settle in for a daily ride. But it doesn’t always work out that way. “I would feel too guilty,” Marris says, “because of the dogs. It’s too hard to bring them with, and I can’t seem to do much without them. I don’t know who has more separation anxiety—them, or me.” That connection to her animals—she and her husband, landscape artist Woody
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I’m Never Bored

I’m Never Bored

November 20, 2015 | by

A drive to yoga class about 10 years ago provided an aha moment for Teresa Elliott. As she drove by a pasture of longhorns, she was so taken by what she saw that she returned the next day and took photographs of them. “There was a bull there,” she says. “It was hot, and he was miserable and stomping his feet. I took a snapshot and went back home and that was my first painting.” Little did Elliott realize how popular her longhorn portraits would become, how eagerly collectors would seek them out. She painted them because she loved them
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Balancing Act

Balancing Act

September 20, 2015 | by

As the early morning light steals in, it illuminates a stand of reeds. You watch in anticipation, breathlessly waiting, ready for the full light to capture the scene. Suddenly, as the light reaches a certain peak, a rush of birds—about 20 green-winged teal and mallards—descend as a unit. You hold your breath as the scene unfolds. The birds, exquisite in flight, weightless and graceful in their speed, race to the heights. These waterfowl, however, are not actually out in nature; they are a Walter Matia sculpture that spans an immense, indoor stone wall at business tycoon Boone Pickens’ Mesa Vista
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Simplicity And Beauty

Simplicity And Beauty

July 20, 2015 | by

“I don’t know that I could be in a better place.” Although Gregory Beecham is referring to his home in Dubois, Wyoming, a rural area brimming with wildlife, those words also aptly describe the success he has realized with his paintings. The enthusiasm of his collectors, combined with several prestigious awards, gives testimony to the skill with which he depicts the animals that inspire him. Greg Beecham (Wyoming) Flying Fortress—Trumpeter Swans Oil 24″x48″ “I knew, going in to this piece, that I was taking a risk in having my point of interest facing away from the viewer. But my experience
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Realistic Paintings, Idealized Subjects

Realistic Paintings, Idealized Subjects

July 20, 2015 | by

Though France has produced many famous artists, one typically does not think of a French native devoting a distinguished artistic career to the depiction of Native Americans. But such was the case with François Henri Farny (later Anglicized to Henry Farny), who painted a proud picture of a Native American race that already was on the decline. Born in the Alsace region of France on July 15, 1847, Farny was the third child in a Protestant family that sought to escape an atmosphere of political turmoil and religious oppression. Henry Farny The Song of the Talking Wire (1904) Oil 22″x40″
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The Studio of Rosetta

The Studio of Rosetta

July 20, 2015 | by

Loveland, Colorado, for all intents and purposes, is a sculptor’s mecca. The number of expert casting foundries is legion. Well, OK, that’s an exaggeration, but there are a lot of them, especially for a town with about 50,000 residents. The city’s annual Sculpture in the Park, which celebrated its 31st anniversary this year, features hundreds of artists and attracts thousands of visitors every summer. Is it any wonder sculptors and other artists gravitate to the lovely city? Like many other artists, Rosetta was drawn to the artistic community and moved her sculpture studio from California to Loveland in 1987. Rosetta
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Expression and Intuition

Expression and Intuition

May 20, 2015 | by

As an award-winning member of Oil Painters of America, Oklahoma native Derek Penix strongly believes an artist’s ability to paint intuitively is what makes the difference between creating a work that is technically and aesthetically pleasing versus one that has the potential to become a masterpiece. “Watching a recent U-tube video listing the world’s 10 most expensive paintings, I observed that the common denominator for each was that none of the artists painted literally,” he says. “All changed what they saw, making it into their own world.” This type of discernment comes naturally to one who grew up surrounded by
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