The Siegrists World of Nature in Miniature Exhibition Tour and Workshop

When you think of wildlife art, large paintings comes to mind almost automatically. But this is not the case when you are talking about Wes & Rachelle Siegrist. They are two of the nation's premiere miniaturists and we are honored to have them as members of the Society of Animal Artists. They have many museum exhibits coming up along with a workshop in January of 2011. If you are near any of these venues please take the opportunity to view the exhibit.

The World of Nature in Miniature
Paintings by Wes and Rachelle Siegrist
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Tucson, Arizona
December 11, 2010 - March 13, 2011
Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director

WORKSHOP
Three day workshop on miniature art
"The Techniques of Working in Miniature Art"
Friday, January 14 - Sunday, January 16, 2011

Explore the enchanting world of miniature art with two of the nation's premiere miniaturists, Wes & Rachelle Siegrist. Watch them demonstrate techniques and try your hand at creating one of these diminutive gems of the art world. Learn about the guidelines contemporary miniature art shows and societies follow to preserve and promote working "in little". While all media are acceptable the instructors will be specializing in watercolor on a variety of surfaces.

The class will include a gallery walk by the Siegrists to discuss and field questions about their 50 paintings concurrently on exhibit at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum as well as a Power Point presentation on the history and scope of miniature art today. Miniature Art Society exhibition catalogues will be displayed in the classroom to illustrate the variety of media, technique and styles acceptable in modern miniatures.

This class counts towards the Art Institute's Nature Illustration Certificate. Individuals following this course will need the prerequisites Pencil I and Watercolor I. The workshop is open to all individuals working in their preferred medium. Cost is $365 for Museum members and $405 for non-members. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. 

For more information:
Email Wes & Rachelle at siegrist@artofwildlife.com
Or contact the Institute directly at:
Email: arts@desertmuseum.org
Phone: (520) 883-3024
Fax: (520) 883-3043
Mail: 2021 N. Kinney Rd., Tucson, AZ 85743
Website: www.desertmuseum.org/arts/
Maps & Classroom Location (PDF)

Please contact Wes & Rachelle if you have any questions concerning the workshop.
This exhibition will feature 50 of the Siegrists' miniature paintings of wildlife drawn from their book The World of Nature in Miniature: Paintings by Wes and Rachelle Siegrist.

A Traveling Exhibition of
EXQUISITE MINIATURES BY WES AND RACHELLE SIEGRIST

Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director
Each of these exhibitions will feature 50 of the Siegrists' miniature paintings.

The Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX
Friday, June 10 through Sunday, August 28, 2011
THE MUSEUM OF THE SOUTHWEST, 1705 West Missouri Avenue, Midland, TX 79701-6516
(432) 683-2882

The Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI
Saturday, November 5, 2011 through Sunday, January 1, 2012
THE DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 995-1055

Museum of the Gulf Coast, Port Arthur, TX
Sunday, April 7 through Sunday, June 2, 2013
MUSEUM OF THE GULF COAST, 700 Procter St., Port Arthur, TX 77640
(409) 982-7000

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FRAMING YOUR WORK

Society of Animal Artists member Jan Martin McGuire thoughtfully shares her views on framing original artwork.

FRAMING YOUR WORK

TO CREATE AN IMPRESSION

While viewing the SAA exhibition at Rolling Hills last September I was struck by two things:  one; the absolute quality of the work and two; the generally awful framing.

Framing is subjective – just like art.  Many people have different ideas of what framing should be.  I can’t speak to all the preferences and the reasoning behind them.  What I CAN do is talk about what is being used on major artwork that is selling in the Western and Wildlife Art market today.

The idea is to create an impression of “worth”, “collectability,” and  “importance”.  Go to any major museum, not just one featuring current western and wildlife art but any museum carrying realistic or impressionists work, and what do you see?  WIDE, closed corner, gold, silver or bronze frames - usually with a little bit of ornate work on them, but always closed-corner and always wide.  This is what collectors have come to equate with “major” art – what they see in museums.  In the Western and Wildlife art field you will also see rustic frames.  By rustic I don’t mean cheap flat “barn wood” frames, but rather wide, hand-made distressed wood with gold and silver on them as well.

OK.  So what is closed-corner exactly?  These are frames that are hand made with hand applied gold or silver leaf (or imitation gold and silver leaf) so that the joins in the corners are covered over.  Sometimes an appliqué of a “leaf” or other scroll work will be applied across the corner to cover the joins as well.

So I know your response is – “I can’t afford hand-made frames”.  Well, believe it or not -you can! There are very reasonably priced ready-mades, most that are hand-made in either Mexico or China. It generally means that you have to work in standard sizes – but – there are so many sizes considered “standard” that I’m always at a loss to understand why artists can’t make compositions work within these sizes.  There are squares, long and thin, and everything in between.  If you absolutely have to add that extra 1/2 inch or whatever then you can get usually get special orders done by most of the places that provide these frames at, of course, a higher price and longer turn around time.

These frames are obviously used mostly on oil and acrylics.  However, many imaginative pastel, pencil and other graphic media artists are using them as well.  They are using spacers and museum glass so at a glance the originals don’t scream out that that they are under glass.  I know museum glass is expensive but I think it’s worth it; you can barely tell there is any glass on it.  Many wildlife art collectors that were actively collecting when the paper print market was hot have learned to equate glass with low-end prints. This is regrettable but true.  If you are a stickler for tradition and want to use paper mats and regular glass, etc., that is your choice obviously. I’m just trying to give you some ideas of what is popular with major collectors.  If you do go traditional, it is still a good idea to make a “STATEMENT” on the wall by using wide mats and big frames. 

If you get a chance, take a look at any issue of WESTERN ART COLLECTOR or ART OF THE WEST magazines.  Especially in WESTERN ART COLLECTOR, they many times feature a major collector’s home - and you can easily see the type of frames that are on the work.  There is an especially good article in the February issue featuring a collection which includes works by Bateman, Kuhn, Carlson, Terpning, Situ and Schimd.  Look at the frames - all are wide, gold or silver with closed corners, and most with at least some slight ornate work on them. 

Another place to look at the type of frames I’m talking about is on John Banovich’s website.  John is arguably one of the most successful selling wildlife artists today and he is a also a very savvy marketer.  Look under the Gallery giclee section and you can see both rustic and gold frames.  www.johnbanovich.com

So where can you get these frames?  Well here are some sources and I suspect that many members will have more input on other sources as well.

JFM ENTERPRISES

www.jfm.net

1-800-462-9740

These are wholesalers.  Their prices are very reasonable, however you MUST have a sales tax ID number to order and you can’t access prices on the web until you have been approved.

MANNY’S OF DENVER

www.mannysofdenver.com

800-638-7605

AMERICA WEST FRAMES

www.americawestframes.com

928-213-1580

WESTERN FRAMES

www.westernframes.com

760-942-4061

IMPRESSIONIST FRAMES

www.impressionistframes.com

760-942-4061

I hope this helps you find some new framing ideas and options for your work.  You have spent a great deal of time and effort producing the best piece that you can, and you need to make a statement that you think it is worth putting a good frame on it! 

Happy painting! Jan Martin McGuire

The frames in this posting are from JFM Enterprises.

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Congratulations to David J. Wagner!!!

Society of Animal Artists Curator/Tour Director, David J. Wagner was honored at the September 2010 Annual Workshop of The Susan K. Black Foundation in Dubois, WY as the Recipient of the Foundation's Black Parkman Award for Art Industry Leadership. Dr. Wagner also serves as Curator/Tour Director for the Foundation's triennial exhibition, BLOSSOM ~ ART OF FLOWERS.

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50th Art and the Animal Awards

We would like to take a moment and congratulate all of the artists who have had the honor of being awarded some of the highest honors in the Society of Animal Artists.

The list that follows are those artists in the 

Society of Animal Artists

50^th Annual Members Exhibition 2010

Art and the Animal

Award of Excellence

The Society of Animal Artists has presented its highest honor, the Award of Excellence for those works of art in each SAA Exhibition which are judged to represent the highest standards of artistic excellence.

Robert Bateman
BOWHEAD AND SNOW BUNTINGS -oil
Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada

Charles Allmond
DAYDREAMER - Utah Alabaster
Wilmington, Delaware

Cheryl Gervais Battistelli
WINTER LIGHT -pastel
Whitefish, Ontario Canada

Carel P. Brest van Kempen
RIPARIAN RASHOMON - Acrylic Diptych
Holladay, Utah

Pat Jackman
WINDY DAY BEACH - Colored Pencil
Salem, Oregon

Lars Jonnson
LIVING WITH THE WIND - Oil
Island of Gotland, Sweden

Peter Clinton Gray
GREAT EXPECTATIONS - oil
Cape Town, South Africa

Don Rambadt
SOLSTICE - welded bronze
Trevor, Wisconsin

Sherry Salari Sander
HORSES OF THE MOUNTAIN - bronze
Kalispell, Montana

Sandy Scott
EQUUS FOUND FRAGMENTS I and II - bronze
Lander, WY

Mark Susinno
OVER THE TOP - Oil on Linen
Harrisburg, PA.

Kay Witherspoon
DETERMINATION - Oil on Linen
Englewood, Colorado

Rick Pas
RING NECK II - Acrylic
Lapeer, Mi

HIRAM BLAUVELT MUSEUM ART MUSEUM PURCHASE AWARD

Peter Clinton Gray
GREAT EXPECTATIONS - oil
Cape Town, South Africa

Stephen Quinn
RECLINING BLACK RHINO - bronze
Ridgefield Park, NJ

PATRICIA A. BOTT AWARD FOR CREATIVE EXCELLENCE

Gary Stabb
ATTA - Bronze, Glass, wood
Kearney, Mo

THE EVELYN AND PETER HALLER MEMORIAL AWARD FOR SCULPTURE

Dan Chen
BETWEEN THE RAFTERS - bronze
b. China resides Eugene Oregon

PRESIDENTS AWARD

Jan Martin McGuire
DUST DEVIL - Acrylic on Panel
Bartlesville, Oklahoma

THE LEONARD J. MEISELMAN MEMORIAL AWARD FOR REALISTIC SCULPTURE IN AN ACADEMIC MANNER

Patricia Davis
SUMMER STOCK - bronze
Mancos, Colorado

THE NEWCOMER AWARD FOR A FIRST TIME PARTICIPANT IN THE SAA'S ANNUAL EXHIBITION

Chris McClelland
DUGGA BOY - Graphite and Colored Pencil
Hay, New South Wales

THE ETHOLOGY AWARD FOR THE BEST DEPICITION OF NATURAL BEHAVIOR IN ANY MEDIUM

Linda Besse
BATTLE ROYALE - oil
Mead, WA

SOUTHWEST ARTIST MAGAZINE EDITORS CHOICE

Julie Bell
ALPHA WOLF - Oil on Wood
Allentown, PA.

WESTERN ART COLLECTOR EDITORS CHOICE AWARD

James Coe
WINTER ABSTRACT WITH HERON - Oil on Linen
Hannacroix, NY

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Art and the Animal 50th wrap-up!

The Society of Animal Artists’

Art and the Animal

50^th Annual Exhibition and Celebration

For the almost two hundred artists, guests and patrons in attendance, it was definitely four days to remember! If anyone got bored at the event, it certainly wasn’t the fault of our President, Diane Mason or her husband Bob, our Executive Director. They found a beautiful place for all of us to stay and arranged three days of wonderful animal watching opportunities, topped off by the annual banquet and award presentations.

Artists Julie Bender and Mary Cornish

First on the schedule was whale watching. Two boats filled with animal artists set out on Wednesday morning in typical sunny Southern California weather. Before we were even out into the Pacific Ocean, a large group of California sea lions were spotted lounging on a floating dock. As we were sailing through open water, we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a large pod of bottle-nosed dolphins who really put on a show, sometimes cruising right alongside the boat. As we went on, there was occasional excitement as someone spotted a bird that they had never seen before. A sunfish, or mola, was also a rare and unusual sighting.

Upon reaching our destination for the day, some small islands, the captain told us to be on the lookout for whales. In the meantime, we saw and were able to photograph sea lions, harbor seals, brown pelicans, brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, cormorants, gulls and terns. But only a few people on one boat caught a glimpse of a whale. No matter. We all had a wonderful time!

On Thursday morning, buses took everyone out to the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park (recently re-named the San Diego Zoo Safari Park), which was founded many years ago as a breeding facility for endangered species, but has since grown into a great public attraction. Many of us took the tram bus tour, which gave us an overview of large paddocks that are home to cheetahs, African elephants, gemsbok, roan antelope, sable antelope, addax and Rothschild giraffes, among others. The rest of the park was very walkable and contained a wide variety of mammals and birds, including all the big cats and a number of species of eagles.

The world famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park was the last, but absolutely not least, animal activity. We arrived in the morning and everyone fanned out to cover as much as they could of this world-class facility, which includes a number of aviaries and open ponds for birds, in addition to the mammal enclosures, reptile collection and children’s zoo. As always, the pandas drew a constant stream of delighted visitors, especially since there is currently a youngster in residence. At the end of the day we all gathered for a lovely outdoor buffet dinner right in the zoo.

Saturday morning began with a continental breakfast at the hotel, followed by the annual membership meeting. The highlight of the morning was a talk by Robert Bateman, who showed us images from his new book and spoke about his art. After lunch came the opportunity we had all been waiting for, viewing the 50th Anniversary edition of “Art and the Animal” at the San Diego Natural History Museum. The show had been installed on three levels of the central atrium, filling the walls, corners and, seemingly, every nook and cranny in between. Many favorable comments were overheard by visitors from the public. The artists felt great pride in seeing, and being a part of, a show that represents the very best animal art being created today.

Toward the end of the afternoon, Robert Bateman once again gave a presentation, this one open to the public, as part of a new lecture series the museum has started on children and nature. Saturday evening saw us gathering in a large ballroom for the final event of the week, a banquet and the presentation of awards by a excellent panel of jurors selected by the Natural History Museum. President Diane Mason was presented with a plaque of appreciation by the board of directors of the Society for her outstanding work as President. Robert Bateman was honored with the Society’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinguished career both as an artist and advocate for environmental and conservation causes.

As the event wound down, members collected the last signatures for their show catalogs, talked shop or simply chatted together, not wanting the evening to end. The attendees ranged from nationally and internationally known artists of great and varied accomplishment to artists who had been members of the Society for less than a year. But we were all colleagues who had come together for the 50th Anniversary celebration, sharing our love of animals and our appreciation for the privilege of being able to create art with them as our subjects.

See you all next year!

Susan Fox

See more photos of the event on the SAA's facebook page!

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