Staff Report
Spend the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 12 with Wildling Museum founder and artist, Patti Jacquemain. Hear about her artistic journey and most recent book, Heads & Tales, which focuses on her mosaic depictions of local animal species. Books will be available for purchase with the opportunity to have them signed by the author.
Also offered will be a screening of the new documentary, The Artist & The Great Bear, by Jeff McLoughlin who directed the film, The Condor’s Shadow. The Artist & The Great Bear is a short film on the mission and art of California artist Patti Jacquemain. To inspire appreciation for the natural world, Jacquemain portrays the California grizzly bear as both a beautiful animal and as a cautionary tale.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Patti Jacquemain was raised on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California, where she developed a great love of the outdoors. Upon graduation from high school, she attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles on a scholarship. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Painting from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1964 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from the same school in 1974.
“Since I was a child, I have always loved art,” says Jacquemain. “Growing up on an 18 acre lemon ranch in Santa Barbara, I was continually outside in the creek or horseback riding in the backcountry during which I gained a great love for nature. When I went to College, there was never any question that I would study art. In graduate school, I concentrated on printmaking (etching), but after I was introduced to woodblock relief printing (woodcuts), I was hooked and have worked in that media ever since. At the same time, after a trip to Italy, I also fell in love with the beauty and permanency of the ancient art of mosaics. While I experimented with many different art techniques, I discovered my enthusiasm truly was for woodblock printmaking and mosaics, and that has continued until this day.”
Patti began her career by concentrating on drawing, painting, and etching. She was introduced to the woodcut in 1974 and has worked principally in the relief process ever since. Most of her prints are made from wood and linoleum blocks are often inspired by her watercolors. Jacquemain is the founder and inspiration behind the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature currently located in Solvang, California in the Santa Ynez Valley. She and her husband Dave started the Museum with 12 close friends and colleagues in 1997. In 2012 she was honored by the Board of Directors by awarding her the Wilderness Sprit Award. She also founded the Creekspirit Wildlife Foundation in 2003 to promote private support for the preservation of wildlife in California and the West.
Tickets are $5 for non-members and free to Wildling Museum members. For tickets and information, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org or call 805.688.1082.
