Tuesday, November 26, 2013

AMERICA'S PARKS II

Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C. 


A number of members of The Society of Animal Artists have been selected for display in AMERICA'S PARKS II, an international competition and exhibition, the purpose of which is to recognize and promote excellence in original art depicting parks in North America.  And several have received top awards and honors.

SAA Major Award Winners in AMERICA'S PARKS II

 America’s Parks Sculpture Award:
Eva Stanley, "Eyes on the Prize"



The Priscilla V. and Michael C. Baldwin Foundation Sonoran Desert Art Award:
Morton E. Solberg, "Desert Bighorn Sheep"



Society of Animal Artists' Wildlife Art Award:
Carel Brest van Kempen, "Greater Roadrunners & Canyon Towhee"



Wildlife Art Journal Juror’s Choice Award:
John Agnew, "Stones and Bones"





Honorable Mention Awards went to: Chris Bacon, George Bumann, Kim Diment, Christine Knapp, Brent Langley, Pokey Park, Bryce Pettit, Anne Peyton, Paul Rhymer, Sherry Salari Sander, Sandy Scott, Rachelle Siegrist, Wes Siegrist, Morten E. Solberg, Eva Stanley and Ezra Tucker

Works included in the AMERICA’S PARKS II exhibition were selected from a competition open to all artists, the purpose of which is to recognize and promote excellence in original artworks depicting any park (national, state, provincial, county, city, or private) in Canada, Mexico and The United States, with an emphasis on parks in the Southwestern U.S. & Northwestern Mexico. Selections were made by a professional jury consisting of:

Pam Dean Cable, Executive Director, Susan Kathleen Black Foundation
M. Stephen Doherty, Editor, PleinAir™ Magazine
Todd Wilkinson, Managing Editor, Wildlife Art Journal

New for AMERICA'S PARKS II is the eligibility of sculpture.  



AMERICA’S PARKS II will premiere in Bolivar, Missouri from March 16 - April 13, 2014 at the Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art; it will then be displayed at The Wildlife Experience in Parker (Denver), Colorado, from May 24 - Aug. 10, 2014; and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ from September 13 - October 26, 2014.

March 16 - April 13, 2014
Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art
Bolivar, MO

May 24 - August 10, 2014
The Wildlife Experience
Parker (Denver), CO

September 13 - October 26, 2014
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Tucson, AZ

For a complete listing of works featured in AMERICA'S PARKS II, visit:
http://davidjwagnerllc.com/competitions.html


For further info, contact:      
David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director  
AMERICA'S PARKS II, Tour Office David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
Phone: (414) 221-6878
Email: americasparksartexhibit@yahoo.com
Website: davidjwagnerllc.com

AMERICA'S PARKS II  AWARDS

CASH AWARDS

America’s Parks Sculpture Award ($1,000.00)
Eva Stanley, Eyes on the Prize

The Priscilla V. and Michael C. Baldwin Foundation Sonoran Desert Art Award ($1,000.00)
Morton E. Solberg Desert Bighorn Sheep

Susan Kathleen Black Foundation Floral Art Award ($1,000.00)
Cheryl Price, Blues at Dusk

PleinAir™ Magazine Juror’s Choice Award ($1,000.00)
Carol Swinney, Trail Ridge View

Society of Animal Artist’s Wildlife Art Award ($1,000.00)
Carel Brest van Kempen, Greater Roadrunners & Canyon Towhee

Wildlife Art Journal Juror’s Choice Award ($1,000.00)
John Agnew, Stones and Bones

HONORABLE MENTION

Armendariz, Tony     Illinois & Michigan Canal, Lock 1
Bacon, Chris        Stillness
Bumann, George     Gentleman Caller
Bumann, George    Patience is a Virtue
Clayton, Pat        Canyon Glow
DePaulo, Dorothy    Mesquite Bones
Diment    , Kim        Three Amigos
Helsaple, Mary     Desert Dwellers
Knapp,    Christine    Sleeping Legends
Langley, Brent     Inspiration Point
O’Connell, Kathleen     Rosette
Park, Pokey        Kit Fox
Parsons, Roger    Afternoon Glow
Pettit, Bryce          Keystone
Peyton, Anne        Beach Boys
Peyton, Anne        In Perfect Balance
Peyton, Anne        On His Territory
Peyton, Anne        Return to Arizona
Rhymer, Paul        Flying Gambel's Quail
Rhymer, Paul        Prickly Pair
Sander, Sherry Salari    Wild Horses
Scott, Sandy        Nesting Heron
Siegrist, Rachelle    Sally Lightfoot
Siegrist, Wes        Sonoran Sunbather
Solberg, Morten E.    A Time That Was
Stanley, Eva        Beaded Lace
Stanley    , Eva        Desert Denizen
Swinney, Carol    Arizona Canyons
Timmins, Muriel J.     Luncheon at Sabino Canyon, Tucson
Tucker, Ezra         Sonoran Redtail and Rattler
Turgeon, Jim        Shadows
Wheeler, Rick     Grey Hawk
Wilson, Nicholas    Tumacacori Mission

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Artists Travel to Africa to Help Combat Poaching

Nine artists from four countries, including seven SAA members (and four board members), joined together on an safari to Tanzania to work on a project to benefit the African Wildlife Trust. AWT is on the front lines of the fight against poaching, especially the desperate situation regarding elephants. 
The group of artists will use their trove of reference photos, sketches and plain aire paintings to produce a body of work that will benefit the African Wildlife Trust, and they will take advantage of speaking engagements and social media to spread the word about the poaching crisis.  We have reached a critical point where we may lose our wild elephants in just a few years. The artists hope that as Artist Ambassadors for the AWT,  they can raise awareness of this crucial time for elephant conservation. 
Hosted by Pratik Patel, founder of the African Wildlife Trust, the artists spent 12 days at Kikoti Camp, near Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.  They spent every day, from dawn to dusk in the bush, gathering references for future artwork. While the artists took thousands of reference photos, some also sketched and painted in the field. Expert guides helped them find almost every species that they could have hoped to have seen. The experiences they had with the wildlife will never be forgotten.

 
Artist Ambassadors for the African Wildlife Trust, L-R: Sandy Scott, 
Tony Pridham, John Agnew, Jan Martin McGuire, James Hines, 
Robert Louis Caldwell, Paul Dixon, Julie Askew, and Dale Weiler


SAA Members on safari in Tanzania:  Dale Weiler, Jan Martin McGuire, 
Robert Louis Caldwell, John Agnew, Sandy Scott, Paul Dixon, Julie Askew

The group inspecting the skull of an elephant whose 
face was hacked off to remove the ivory. 

The amazing abundance of wildlife provided a wealth 
of inspiration and references for the artists

Most of the artists took photos, but Julie sketched, 
even from a moving vehicle.

 An armed escort was necessary to keep John Agnew working 
(actually, he was there to protect against lions).


Julie Askew painting a Baobab tree
 
 
The escort, Thomas, watches Jan paint.


Thirsty bees, one of the hazards of painting in the wilds of Africa.
 

The escort, Thomas, Jan Martin McGuire, John N. Agnew and Julie Askew, 
with their paintings of the Baobab tree.