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The Lair of the Cat by Bob Kuhn
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In Memoriam
Wildlife painter Bob Kuhn, widely regarded as the top wildlife painter in the West, died on October 1 in Tucson, AZ. He was 87. A master stylist who portrayed animal behavior through dramatic action and nuanced gesture, Kuhn strived to convey the essential spirit of the animals he painted. “I sometimes think of myself as singing ballads about these animals…. I’m trying to tell you why I love them,” he was quoted in a feature story in Southwest Art (October 2006).
Born in 1920 in Buffalo, NY, Kuhn first experienced the world of animals as a child visiting the Buffalo Zoo, where he made drawings of the big cats. Artist Paul Bransom, considered the dean of animal illustrators, mentored Kuhn while he was still a teen, teaching him classical painting and drawing techniques. Kuhn later studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and went on to a successful career as an illustrator for outdoor magazines such as Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. In 1970, at the age of 50, he gave up his career as a commercial illustrator to pursue wildlife art full time, traveling everywhere from Alaska to Africa to study animals in their natural habitats.
Kuhn won the prestigious Prix de West Award for his acrylic on masonite painting THE LAIR OF THE CAT in 1991, and the following year he received the Rungius Medal from the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, WY. The museum—which owns the world’s largest collection of Kuhn’s paintings—held a major retrospective of his work in 2002, as did the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2006. “Much as Audubon and Rungius before him, Bob Kuhn changed the parameters of wildlife art,” says Bill Kerr, chairman emeritus of the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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The Red Buoy by Glenna Hartmann
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California Plein-Air Awards
Pastel artist Glenna Hartmann won the Southwest Art Award of Excellence for her body of work at the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational in October. Joe Paquet won both Artists’ Choice and Collectors’ Choice, and Michael Obermeyer took home the Fine Art Connoisseur Award. Also in October, Niles Nordquist received Best of Show at the San Luis Obispo Plein Air Painting Festival. People’s Choice went to Ken Christensen, and Artists’ Choice was presented to Terry Miura.
Out & About
Houston artist Katrina Moorhead was named winner of the $30,000 Arthouse Texas Prize in November…. 18 Hands Gallery, specializing in ceramic arts, opened in Houston, TX, in November…. Volitant Gallery in Austin, TX, closed its doors in October…. Gallery Centella in Tucson, AZ, closed in December.
Kelsey Wins Best of Show at CAA
Texas sculptor T.D. Kelsey took top honors at the 42nd annual Cowboy Artists of America Exhibition & Sale, held at the Phoenix Art Museum in October. Kelsey’s bronze HAIR TRIGGERED won Best of Show and the Gold Medal for sculpture. Gold medals were also awarded to John Moyers (oils), David Halbach (water solubles), and Harley Brown (drawings and other media). Silver medal winners included Bill Owen, John Coleman, Moyers, and Loren Entz. The Artists’ Choice Award for best body of work went to Fred Fellows, and Bruce Greene received the Ray Swanson Memorial Award. The Friday evening fixed-price sale grossed more than $2.4 million.
Big Bucks
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston was the top recipient of private donations among U.S. arts organizations in 2006, according to a survey conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The museum received more than $185 million in private contributions, surpassing the Museum of Modern Art in New York ($133 million) and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington ($131 million), which ranked second and third, respectively.
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