SOCIETY OF ANIMAL ARTISTS
Oman Wild Art
Please keep checking and good luck!
OMAN WILD ART
An Internationally Juried Exhibition
for Omani Artists
Julie will be on the judging panel for this new Exhibition
promoting wildlife art and conservation in the Middle East.
For details click: www.omanwildart.blogspot.com
Art and Beyond .
Good girl gone wild
British artist and conservationist Julie Askew
By Ana Maria Luca - Beyond Magazine, Beirut, Lebanon
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Julie Askew practices all sorts of extreme sports, including scuba diving and mountain climbing. But she is not an athlete who lives for the X game. It is her destiny to paint wildlife, wherever it is, she says.When tourists take a cruise around the world, they sunbathe and party. But Julie Askew is no ordinary tourist. When at sea, she dived with green turtles to paint “Ocean Treasure”, a touching artwork that depicted a green turtle in an empty ocean. When she travelled to the U.S., the British wildlife artist chose to go to Yellowstone National Park and spend her time observing the “Lamar” pack of wolves. The conservation success story of the first pack of wild wolves reintroduced in the park turned into one of her most acclaimed paintings: “Eye to Eye – Gray Wolves”.
Askew can speak volumes about her work. She believes that a wildlife artist has to study and understand environment. To her, the habitat of the species depicted is as important as the subject. “For instance, ensuring that the season of the surroundings fits with the coat or feathering of the species,” she tells Beyond
. “I am often captivated by habitat as well as the main subject. My painting “Autumn Leaves” is as much about the wonderful Aspen trees as it is about the white tailed deer who feeds upon them. So I chose the habitat first, knowing that the deer would fit the composition of the painting,” she said.Askew says painting and preserving nature is her destiny. “I think it was nature that chose me,”confesses the artist, who grew up in the English countryside, surrounded by wildlife. But it was only after she finished her degree in Scientific Illustration in 1993 that she started to paint wildlife. “
It requires understanding of anatomy. Wildlife art, however, is not just about the animal, bird, or fish. It is also about depicting behavior, telling a story, or sending a message within the painting,” Askew says. “Leonardo da Vinci’s exploration of anatomy inspired me to study scientific illustration for my degree so I could understand my subject’s anatomy, allowing me to work from sketches and fieldpainting more than from photographs.”
She also found inspiration and models in the work of Robert Bateman and Paco Young. The great Canadian master of wildlife art influenced her early years, while Young, the American painter who specialized in field-painting, conquered her eye and heart with his “beautiful painterly style, wonderful brushwork, and sense of color”.
Askew’s main secret is to paint what she sees. “Go. Observe. Preserve. Paint!” she would say to any young artist who is keen to follow the wildlife path. “There is no formula for choosing a subject for a painting. I see paintings everywhere I go and have more ideas than time!” she explains.
But a wildlife artist’s life is not the easiest, Askew warns. It involves travelling around the world to locate and immortalize endangered species, show their beauty, and raise awareness. But she says she is never tired. “My subjects may not be with us forever; it is my duty as a wildlife artist to portray as much as I can. Observation is the first step to preservation,” Askew argues. “By exposing people to wildlife art, they become aware of the nature that is all around us, and they may then themselves get the wish to help conserve our wild places.”
As most wildlife artists, Askew is a conservationist and a member of “Artists for Conservation”,a signature member of the “Society of Animal Artists”– the most prestigious global society in the field. She also supports variuous causes through her art, such the Wildfowl and WetlandsTrust (WWT).
One of the first renowned wildlife artists to exhibit in the Middle East, Askew was on show in December at Bait Muzna Gallery, Sultanate of Oman, where she has completed four paintings for the Royal Palace.
“The reaction [to wildlife art] has been very positive in the Middle East. I see good conservation projects undertaken and hope that [...] the understanding, appreciation, and conservation will develop and thrive.
There is so much nature and wildlife to preserve and enjoy in the Middle East,” she says.
Words ANA MARI A LUCA,
Photos JULIE ASKEW
SAA - Art and The Animal Exhibition
Please visit the gallery by clicking the link :
Wildlife Art Journal review of Julie's Book
A Voyage Round The World In Paintings:
The Art Of Julie Askew
British Painter's Book of Sketches, Drawings and Easel Work Is Beautiful Travelogue
Written By Wildlife Art Journal Staff
"She has deft ability in quickly gathering field information and then creating easel paintings that speak to a deeper command of her subjects. It's debatable whether Askew is more talented painting wildlife or the human figure, ginning up a finished naturalist sketch in her field journal or dashing off a well executed wash of watercolor over line drawings. Every page demonstrate's Askew's diversity" This book is recommended.......
To read more please click the link: http://www.wildlifeartjournal.com/articles/wildlife-art-journal-premium-content/winter-2010/203/a-voyage-around-the-world-in-paintings-the-art-of-julie-askew.html
FROM THE STUDIO
Working on 'Reef Patrol '- Black-tipped Reef Shark
Society Of Animal Artists Museum
Please have a look around - CLICK - SAA All Members Gallery
Review by Todd Wilkinson
TRAVELER
Comentary, news, and life in America's parks.
Healthy U.S Ecosystems Draw International
Nature Pilgrims
Submitted by Todd Wilkinson on May 12 2010
A British artist, Julie Askew, traveled to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks to capture wildlife long-gone from her home country. In the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone she saw members of the Druid Pack that inspired this painting, "Eye to Eye
Meet a pilgrim - a nature pilgrim - a woman who traveled to the backyard of America to set eyes on a species that long ago was extinguished from her homeland archipeligo.......
read more...Click Link....
www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/05/healthy-us-ecosystems-draw-international-nature-pilgrims5852
