Julie Bender - Member Profile

Society Of Animal Artists Member Profile

Julie Bender

Signature Member

Pyrography, USA

An artist-at-heart as a child and through college, Julie Bender earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1980. However, it wasn’t until 2002 that she serendipitously stumbled across the art of pyrography. Self-taught in this medium, her strong passion for it is now matched by the accurate and artful portrayal of her subjects.

Her fiery depiction of nature and wildlife makes an uncommon departure from that of conventional paintings. However, Julie proudly aligns herself with such artists and continues to break ceilings in a world of fine art that is steeped in tradition and normally reserved for those who engage in more commonly universal media – the same world that now readily extends her invitations into prestigious shows and exhibitions.

Julie's work is regularly accepted into Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's BIRDS IN ART and our annual juried show ART AND THE ANIMAL in which she has received several awards. Her work has hung in many museums and she has been featured in many books and magazines including Western Art Collector Magazine , SPORTING CLASSICS, Southwest Art Magazine and Horses in Art magazine.

To Learn more about Julie and her e work please visit www.juliebender.com

   

SAA artist Greg McHuron passes

Society of Animal Artists

Signature artist 

Greg McHuron 

 Passes away at age of 66

Greg McHuron at his easel

American painter Greg McHuron passed away Tuesday July 24, 2012 at his home in Jackson Hole , Wyoming.

“Painting oils and watercolor/gouache en plein-aire for the past 35 years, I am inspired by and able to distill my passion for nature in a direct and personal manner by painting my emotional response to the WOW that I see as I watch scenes unfold.  People have said that they are immediately struck by my strong sense of design--then, the interesting color combinations, juxtapositions, and light and dark patterns.  The common thread in all my work is that I was THERE - that I have experienced what I turn my brush to.  I paint the west from Alaska (above the Arctic Circle) to the southwest doing whatever it takes to get the painting - standing in rivers, on the edge of cliffs, in a bobbing raft down the Grand Canyon or on a ship along the coast up to Alaska, riding horseback into wilderness areas, or accidentaly finding myself in the middle of a buffalo stampede.”
-Greg McHuron

From Greg’s website, please visit www.mchuronstudio.com to read more about Greg and his work.

"Mussel Lion Haul Out"

Oil, 48" x 54" 

“The artist had courageously battled two bouts of illness and in between created some of his most inspiring work. He was 66. Our thoughts are with his wife, Linda, and family. A look at Greg's career will appear here in the days to come."

- Wildlife Art Journal

"Sentinels"

Watercolor/gouache, 9" x 12"

“Much of McHuron’s work was shown and sold through Trailside Galleries in Jackson. Managing partner of the gallery, Maryvonne Leshe, spoke with JH Weekly only minutes after learning of McHuron’s passing.” 

“I remember the first time I ever met Greg,” Leshe recalled. “I was out driving around, looking at the scenery and saw in the distance a man in a hat in front of an easel painting the Cathedral Group. I stopped and got out and stood behind him for quite a while. He knew someone was there but he never turned around. He continued to work, ignoring me. Finally, I stepped up beside him and told him it was a beautiful painting. ‘Thanks,’ he muttered gruffly without ever looking up.”

-By Jake Nichols, JH Weekly
(Read More)

"Early Walkabout"

Oil, 24 x 36 

To learn more about Greg and his work please visit www.mchuronstudio.com

    

Gary Staab - Member Profile

Society Of Animal Artists Member Profile

Gary Staab

Signature Member

Multi Media Sculptor, USA

Gary Staab produces natural history and prehistoric life models for museums, publishing and film. Gary worked to create the first exact 3D replica of King Tut’s mummy based on a translation of the latest CT scans and scientific data. The replica went on display for the first time as part the New York City presentation of 
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs in 2011.

Staab’s recreations and sculptures embellish the halls of the Smithsonian, the British Museum of Natural History, the America Museum of Natural History, The BBC and many others. His work has also been featured on the Discovery Channel, in National Geographic Magazine and Dorling Kindersley Publishers. He has been the recipient of the prestigious John Lanzendorf Paleoart award for sculpture, presented by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, four times. Staab earned a degree in Art/Biology at Hastings College and interned at the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum of Natural History. His work and eclectic studio demonstrate a flare and passion for natural forms both past and present. He was employed by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado as a sculptor for seven years (where he still holds a research associate position). Staab has also worked for the past 14 years as a freelance sculptor for such institutions as: The National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Miami Science Museum among many others.

To learn more about Gary Staab please visit www.staabstudios.com

    

Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen - Member Profile

Society Of Animal Artists Member Profile

Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen

Signature Member & Board Master Artist

Acrylic Painter, USA

Carel is a Master Signature artist.  Masters are artists who have received five or more Awards of Excellence in the annual juried members show ART AND THE ANIMAL. Carel is know for his meticulously executed paintings that explore the rich variety of nature. Mysterious and exotic reptiles and amphibians rendered in brilliant jewel tones attest to the artist's belief that chief among nature's hallmarks is its diversity. Brest van Kempen's subjects, while untraditional, are no less threatened than those more commonly seen in wildlife art, and they are just as essential in the grand scheme of nature. Reptiles and amphibians are today's ecological equivalent of yesteryear's canaries in coal mines. Often sensitive to environmental changes, they can red-flag problems not readily apparent (currently the case with the disappearance of many species of frogs, a mystery that has baffled scientists.)  

EASTERN PAINTED TURTLE 

acrylic 11" x 14"

As expected, the most widespread North American typical turtle, the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta), is also one of the most adaptable, able to thrive in a variety of water bodies and on a variety of foods. This painting depicts the race from the eastern U. S., C. p. picta. Incidental creatures include an Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) pond snail (Lymnaea sp.) and damselfly naiad (Enallagma sp.). 

Carel's work is in many private and museum collections including the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and Bennington Center for the Arts. There is a book on Carel's work entitled "Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding: The Art of Carel Pieter Brest Van Kempen."

To learn more about Carel and with work please visit www.cpbrestvankempen.com