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ARTIST STATEMENT:
I got my start in art probably the same way every other artist does: as soon as I could hold a crayon, drawing with anything that made a mark on anything that didn't move real fast. I drew probably the same thing every other young girl draws: horses. I wanted to be John James Audubon - ah, to have been among the first to see and paint this continent's wildlife! - but obviously there's only one of him.
I still draw horses, and since I'm basically a critter lover, I paint animals. Winged, four-legged, hooves, claws, large, small - doesn't matter. If it's an animal, I'm fascinated and I gotta paint it.
I use a palette knife in much of my art because it lets me create clean slashes of bold color and it's a helluva lot of fun. I sit down to a canvas faced with the daunting task of getting the gorgeous vibrancy of an animal subject into oil paint; since this is basically impossible, I might as well enjoy the process of wasting paint enormously (which I do). I paint expressionistically, and the palette knife ensures that I don't get too fussy - which usually spells death to the work.
I do my own research and reference collection in the beautiful wild spaces of the West; my husband is a wildlife videographer, and his work has influenced me to look for the paintable story, not just the paintable scene. Whenever we head off someplace remote to photograph animals, I find that I usually can't wait to get home and sort through my slides, squeal with excitement, and begin painting. There is no other way to capture the emotion and intensity of experiencing wildlife and wild places than firsthand; in addition, we have often been privileged to witness behavior we've never read about, and this original research is incredibly stimulating. While many wildlife artists focus on the big trophy male animals, I am often inspired to portray scenes and stories that are more commonly seen - moms and babes, or teenage males in unrequited lust - that sort of thing.
I have been incredibly privileged to take home some really wonderful awards. I am most proud of two in particular. One was an Award of Excellence at my first Society of Animal Artists annual exhibition in September 2002, after just being juried into the Society (boasting members like Bob Kuhn, Robert Bateman, and Guy Coheleach) a few months earlier. The second was the Grand Prize at the 2002 Arts for the Parks. The $50,000 prize is one of the richest art awards in the nation, and has been won previously by notables such as Richard Schmid. The painting that won, Illumination, was based on a magical encounter I had on the wild coastline of Katmai National Park in Alaska; we journeyed there via floatplane and boat to film grizzlies catching salmon. This particular bear spent an afternoon with us in rare sunshine; she was so pretty and so comfortable with our presence - almost flirting with us, inviting us to play - that I've found myself painting her more than anything else from that trip. In fact, another painting of her - ''Bare Naked Lady'' - was the piece that won my SAA Award of Excellence. Clearly there was something about her that made a connection for me, and I am much the richer for that experience.
My artistic influences: Bob Kuhn, Carl Rungius, Richard Schmid, Wayne Thiebaud, Maynard Dixon, Nicolai Fechin, and many others along the way - art gods all!
RESUME:
SIGNATURE MEMBERSHIP:
Society of Animal Artists
American Academy of Women Artists (also on Board of Directors)
Worldwide Nature Artists Group
MUSEUM & PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
2005 Lookout Mountain Nature Center - Golden, CO
2004 Commission for the NFL Baltimore Ravens - Baltimore, MD
2002 The Wildlife Experience - Denver, CO
2002 Hiram Blauvelt Museum - Oradell, NJ
SELECTED NATIONAL JURIED, MUSEUM & INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS:
2006 C.M. Russell Auction - Great Falls, MT
2006 Treasure State Art Show - Hamilton, MT
2005 ''Visons of America'', American Academy of Women Artists - Tucson, AZ
2004-06 Western Visions Miniatures & More - National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY
2002, 2004 Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists (national tour)
2003 Birds in Art - Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum - Wausau, WI
2002-04 Collectors Covey Miniatures Show (invitational) - Dallas, TX
2002, 2004 Art of the Animal Kingdom VII - Bennington, VT
2002 Artists for the New Century (invitational) - Bennington, VT
1998-2000, 2002 Arts for the Parks Top 100 (national tour)
SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS:
2005 Award of Merit
''Visions of America'' AAWA Show
2003 Judge - The Artist's Magazine Animal Art Competition
2003-05 Quickdraw Artist - Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival (invitational only)
2002 GRAND PRIZE - Arts for the Parks 2002
2002 Purchase Award - Hiram Blauvelt Museum (SAA exhibition)
2002 Award of Excellence - Society of Animal Artists 42nd Annual Exhibition
2002 Artist-in-Residence - Rocky Mountain National Park
RECENT GALLERY SHOWS:
2004-05 West Lives On Gallery - Jackson, WY
2003-04 Visions West Gallery - Livingston, MT
2003 Mountain Trails Gallery - Jackson, WY
REPRESENTATION:
Ernest Fuller Fine Art - Denver,CO(866.946.1296)
The West Lives On - Jackson, WY (800.883.6080)
Sage Creek Gallery - Santa Fe, NM (505.988.3444)
Dana Gallery - Missoula, MT (406.721.3154)
Visions West Gallery - Livingston, MT and Bozeman, MT (406.222.0337)
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
''Wild Encounters'' - Southwest Art, June 2003
The Artist's Magazine - Limited-Edition Calendar 2003
''Animal Instincts''(cover & article) - The Artist's Magazine, June 2002
"Julie T. Chapman - Passion for the Wild" - Wildlife Art, May-June 2002
''Great Expectations - 15 Women Artists'' - Wildlife Art, March-April 2001
''Artists to Watch in the New Millennium'' - Wildlife Art, Jan-Feb 2000
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