Paintings of Wildlife & Nature by Rebecca Latham
I just went on a photoshoot the other day – these little guys were SO cute! A few litters of baby wolves.. (This one really liked being scratched and cuddled. :) ) I also held a baby woodchuck who crawled into my jacket to get warm…he was about the size of a gerbil…. :D I’m kind of eager to get started on a painting of one of these little wolves.
I get together with my friends and talk about some of the things that have happened in my ‘adventures’ as an artist…and at least they think that it should be written somewhere… So, as per their request…
At one time, I was represented by an art dealer. There was a beautiful art show, an elegant opening complete with gourmet hors d’oeuvres and wines. The dealer had set everything up and invited clients….they started to arrive…
One couple was looking at and discussing one of my pieces, and then talking to the dealer. Busy with other clients and such, they talked a while before I was motioned over to their conversation. I greeted them and was shown my painting that the people were interested in. It was a new piece of a baby animal that I had done, arranged in the image space so that part of the body was cropped…done on purpose so that it felt like it was up close and personal. The client wanted to know if I could have the entire baby shown. I confirmed that I could do a commission that way, but this one was painted as it was…there wasn’t any more of the animal behind the frame to show. My art dealer, eager for the sale, decided that I could easily use wall spackle to patch another piece of art board to that end of the piece and continue the watercolor painting and began to describe the process….
(Hmmm…uncomfortable situation…. No, for the record, I don’t “spackle” my art together in chunks. Lol! :D The client decided they liked that piece as it was and now have it in their collection. The dealer is still selling art…just not mine… ;) )
The painting is titled "Illuminated" – I was struck by what seemed to be an internal glow of light as the bird was fishing. All of the fine feathers reflecting light seemed to ‘illuminate’ and glow… It seemed to shimmer…as did the little minnows that he pulled out of the ocean. …I had such a fabulous time watching him (and just enjoying the whole environment during my stay…thanks to my friends who put up with me running around to see everything and snapping photos… ;) )
The exhibit just opened on the 5th and will run through the end of May. http://seasideart.com/
My family and I joined the memberships of several societies this past month…I am very pleased to post…..
American Watercolor Society (AWS) – http://www.americanwatercolorsociety.com
The American Watercolor Society was formed in New York in 1866. The organization promotes the art of watercolor painting in America and holds international exhibitions.
Portrait Society of America (PSOA) – http://www.portraitsociety.org
The purpose of the Portrait Society is to foster and enhance an understanding of the practice, techniques and applications of traditional fine art portraiture.
Untamed Artists Network (UAN) – http://www.untamedartists.com
I am also very happy to be a core member of the Untamed Artists Network , an organization of artists who are drawn together by a common concern for wildlife. Many thanks to them for extending an invitation to join them in their efforts. The group is based in Australia.
This is a new miniature I painted that went to England for a miniature art exhibit. It is a finch with apple blossoms and is a little smaller than 4×6. My Dad has some awesome flowering fruit trees that I love …which inspired this painting… :) (I have ‘spring fever’ -I’m really wishing for spring around here to look like spring. ;) :p )
The little bird isn’t life-sized…which I really would have loved to paint him (I love painting things life-sized and the challenge to make them look like they will walk off my artboard ;) ). The piece was painted to be shown in this exhibition which has an image area limit, and he had to be arranged compositionally in the painting with the flowers…this was the most pleasing arrangement that I came up with. :)
I really would like to paint the concept as a 6×8 or a little larger sized miniature so that I would have more space for everything… (Maybe the next painting… :D lol!)
He’s coming along pretty well. I’m bringing out all of the textures of the plants covering the ground and pebbles…and of course the fur. :D The chipmunk is just about life sized in the painting. The original post about him is here. The piece will be 6" x 8" when it is completed.
It is finally starting to feel like spring – it is warm enough to open the windows of my studio to listen to the birds sing during the day while I paint. :D
Things haven’t ‘greened up’ quite yet, but I am anxiously waiting for them to sprout. :D This is a sketch of an iris from my garden (a blossom from last year). I felt like painting something warm and glowing that reminded me of early summer…
I was "Tagged" by one of my friends, Cindy Hasse (a colored pencil artist whom I’ve mentioned in my blog earlier..). So, now I am "it". ;) From what I have been told, I am now (voluntarily) posting 5 things that may not be known about me and "tagging" 5 other bloggers.
Growing On Me
I love gardens. I don’t have too much extra time to be away from my easel, but I dabble just enough to get my hands dirty. ;) I love growing herbs (and using them in my cooking :) ), flowers (of course!), and exotic or unusual plants….and a number of them keep me company in my studio. :)
Decorate Your Face
I got started painting by face painting (where you paint the designs on children’s faces …er, most of the time it was children… ;) ). I was bored sitting at art fairs with my Mom’s paintings and drawings when I was 10 or so, and my parent’s had the genius to suggest that I try something constructive. I guess that was my first ‘job’. …though, initially I felt bad charging too much for them and wouldn’t go over .25¢ each. ;)
Sounding Nice
When deciding on a vocation, I was originally going to be a professional vocalist…not an artist (…though the thought had crossed my mind in first grade ;) ). I took courses at a musical college as well as private instruction. I even placed in a competition at the Minnesota State Fair and was a soprano in the 3M chorus. (I did, however, change my mind – my Mom was already painting and she helped immensely in getting me addicted to the visual arts. ;) ) Members of my immediate and extended family (I have a HUGE extended family) are very arts, music, and creative writing oriented (both sides of my family). My grandfather built his own dulcimer to play. A bit of that rubbed off on me, I play(ed) the flute and piccolo. I was a part of a student’s band at a college here in the cities and also did numerous solo performances. When I was VERY little (um, 3) I performed piano solos for the school’s concerts in front of hundreds of people.
This Is Your Life
I really enjoy biographies when I can. Victor Frankel, Leonardo Da Vinci, and others are very inspiring to me and my work. Also, I am really very, very grateful to all of the amazing people who have touched my life with their knowledge and experience themselves (and not simply from the pages of a book ;) ) ….Artists whom I’ve studied under and those with years of knowledge who have selflessly been mentors to me. What they have given me is priceless.
Dig for the Facts
I love researching things that interest me – today it is the history of my style of art and the wildlife and nature I picture in my pieces. When I was little (probably 10 or so), I was fascinated with Native American history and tried to learn all I could (I have some Native American heritage myself, so that didn’t hurt, either. ;) ). My Mom encouraged me and bought all of the books she could from book sales for me to study. …I even taught my childhood friends to use the symbols and sign language…. I had learned enough at that age to be able to hold my own when meeting an artist who painted authentic symbolism into his works and discuss it. (..but don’t ask me to remember something from that period now… ;) lol! )
Ok, enough about me – here are 5 other artists that I will list...
The first two are built-in (victims ;) ) – My Mom & Sister’s blogs are http://www.lathamstudios.com/karensblog/blog and http://www.lathamstudios.com/bonniesblog/blog
3. These art Beautiful oil paintings by an artist I met at one of our gallery’s events (Whistle Pik Galleries) not too long ago – qiang-huang.blogspot.com. …just love them.
4. & 5.This is an artist I’ve studied with, Matthew Hillier. He obviously doesn’t need a lot of introduction – his beautiful paintings speak for themselves :) – http://thestudiofloor.blogspot.com/ (and this is his wife, Julia Rogers – juliarogers.blogspot.com ….quite talented, aren’t they. :D )
(Disclaimer – none of the artists on this list are under any obligation or pressure to post anything if they would rather not ….I’m just showing you off… ;) )
Best,
Rebecca :D
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
– Jim Carrey