Maya Mist Keel Billed Toucan by Terry Isaac |
By Dawn Dorsey
If you’re looking for a wildlife art adventure, consider a safari to the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show, September 26-28. Track paintings, sculpture, woodcarvings, and graphics by more than 100 wildlife artists at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, WA. Special activities include two Quick Draws and two main auctions, seminars by wildlife artists and experts, and live animal exhibits. Celebrity artists Gary Burghoff and Al Feldstein are also present to show their work. For more information, call 206.596.6728, or visit the event’s website at http://www.wespro.com.
Elephant’s Child by Dennis Curry |
In celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary, 20 past Artists of the Year and Featured Artists will attend. As you can imagine, this group of artists has had their share of adventures on the wild side. We asked several of them about their most exciting escapades.
Terry Isaac
“About five years ago, my wife who was seven months pregnant and I were in Baja California, on an inflatable boat hoping to see a whale. Suddenly we spotted one. At first he didn’t see us, but when he finally did he dove back under water with a tremendous splash, his tail fin overturning our boat and throwing us into the water.”
John Banovich (see page 8)
“Last year, while leading a group of artists through Africa’s Krueger National Park, I saw two unbelievably huge bull elephants calmly eating leaves. Even though I wasn’t supposed to, I got out of the van and approached them. One saw me, stretched his body and put his trunk up, flipping his head from side to side. I wanted to get closer, so I kept going, but suddenly the elephant charged. I ran back to the van and managed to drive away just before he crushed us!”
Ngorongoro Morning by Lee Kromschroeder |
Dennis Curry
“I like to capture the beauty of animals going about their everyday business, especially in Africa. Sometimes, however, things get dangerous. Once I left an area where I had been sketching, came back, and found several cape buffaloes some of the meanest animals around right where I had been sitting. I got out of there fast.”
Lee Kromschroeder
“On safari in Kenya, we found our van in a herd of 150 elephants. Though they may seem docile in zoos, elephants are actually huge, strong, and not-so-friendly animals. Suddenly the bull elephant charged and unbelievably, our driver started laughing hysterically. Everyone ducked, he hit the gas, and we blasted through.”
Tag Team by Greg Beecham |
Greg Beecham
“One of my best trips was a journey along Alaska’s inland passage on a boat with several other artists. The variety of wildlife we saw was phenomenal, but what I remember most vividly is the black bear that materialized in front of me in a mountain stream, grabbed a salmon from the water with his huge claw, and started eating it as if I weren’t there.”
Lindsay Scott
“In Botswana, my group saw three cape buffaloes—the most dangerous animals in Africa in the bush. Quickly, we considered what to do and managed to shimmy up some nearby trees. After what seemed like hours, they finally retreated. We waited a long time before we left and then very cautiously.”
Jewel of the Valley by Lindsay Scott |
Leo E. Osborne
“My adventures are often spiritual as I embark on the Zen-like process of woodcarving. I meditate on each piece of burlwood and try to capture the spirit and essence of animals. This creates a vibrating energy that makes people want to touch a piece as soon as they see it. That’s what sculpture is all about.”
Mike Capser
“Hiking the Montana mountains, I came across some grizzly cubs, but their mother was nowhere in sight. Now the grizzly bear mother is the most dangerous animal in North America and will protect her offspring to the death. I didn’t know which direction to turn I certainly didn’t want to back into her and if the cubs sounded an alarm I was in big
Toucan Sunrise by Leo E. Osborne |
trouble. I backed off and finally the cubs slipped by. I never did see the mother.”
Featured in September 1997
Wind Spirit by Mike Capser |