Former Solvang resident ‘considered to be one of the very best wildlife artists in the United States’
SLOPOKE 2024, a fine art exhibition and sale that focuses on contemporary art of the west has chosen Ezra Tucker as the featured artist and awards jurist for the upcoming SLOPOKE show, which will be held on Sept. 27 through 29 at Monty and Pat Roberts’ Flag is Up Farms in Solvang.
Tucker has worked as a professional fine artist for over 30 years. In his biography, he states that as a young boy, he sat transfixed by images of wildlife and the animal kingdom on television, and he spent many hours at the library researching adventure stories from around the world. His interest in archaeology, history, science, and geography also grew, and in the 1960s, his family purchased the World Book encyclopedia, which further expanded his knowledge.
Tucker went on to study at the Memphis Academy of Arts in Tennessee, where he was encouraged to pursue his interest in wildlife subjects. After college, he worked for Hallmark Cards as a commercial artist, where he remained for five years. While there, he met his wife, Nancy Krause, also an artist. The couple was married in Kansas City in 1983 and moved to Sherman Oaks, California, shortly thereafter.
Soon after that, the couple began looking for a more rustic environment in which to be creative.
“We wanted to get away from the congestion of the Los Angeles area,” said Krause. “Friends recommended the calm country life up the coast nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley. We moved to Solvang in 1988 and lived on Old Mission Road for 10 years.”
Krause said that during that time, Tucker was doing major national advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and poster illustrations for the movie industry, while she continued to produce illustrations for decorative art products for companies nationwide. “We were both awarded a contract to create U.S. postage stamps,” she said.
Tucker also began to pursue his dream of a fine art career and began painting and selling fine art pieces as commissions to local collectors.
During the ’90s, the couple had three children — a daughter in 1993, followed by two boys in 1995 and 1999. “We missed the mountains, the solitude, and loved the four seasons, so we moved to Monument, Colorado, where we live today.”
Tucker’s dynamic illustrations have been commissioned by Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, MGM Grand Hotel, Seagram’s, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Lucasfilms, and many other publishers and corporations.
“Tucker is considered to be one of the very best wildlife artists in the United States and among the top ten in this genre,” said Tom B. Burgher, the CEO of SLOPOKE Events. “His work ranges from animal portraits reflecting their unique individualism to narrative paintings of the American West.”
Tucker is presently focusing on portraying the role played by African-American people in settling the West after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which he says is a little-known element of American history and needs to be told.
“I very much admire Ezra Tucker’s paintings, which continue a tradition of classic American illustration and figurative art; and they are much more than what they might seem at first glance. In his luminous images of majestic animals in their natural settings, Tucker’s deftly captured depictions demonstrate that the artist possesses a zoologist’s eye for accuracy, while also imbuing his subjects with the dignity of formal portraiture, cultivating empathy and respect for the creatures with whom we share a world,” said Bill Anthes of Pitzer College (one of the Claremont Colleges), and author of “Native Moderns: American Indian Painting, 1940-1960,” and “Edgar Heap of Birds” (both published by Duke University Press) and co-editor of “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe” (Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian).
“I find it necessary to preserve and respect all creatures that inhabit our planet because I believe that we are more connected than most humans acknowledge,” Tucker said. “I represent the beauty and majesty of the animal world … to help influence the preservation of our planet’s varied species.”
Krause specializes in design and handmade jewelry with a Western theme. Her work will also be presented at SLOPOKE 2024.
Also, new to SLOPOKE this year are the works of legacy artist, Fred Oldfield (1918-2017). He was one of the“Granddaddies of Western Art.” The Fred Oldfield Western Heritage & Art Center was built on the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup in his honor and memory. He will be represented by his daughter Joella Oldfield who authored and published a book on his life and art. Copies will be available for sale. This marks the first time SLOPOKE has exhibited the works of a legacy artist. Some of his work will be for exhibit only and some will be for sale.
SLOPOKE is the leading fine art exhibition and sale on California’s Central Coast, drawing artists from across the country, to present paintings, sculptures, and photography. Entering its 14th year, and the eighth consecutive year at Flag is Up Farms, SLOPOKE is limited to 30 juried artists with an Opening Reception and Awards Presentation on Friday night from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening and then open to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All ticket holders receive a keepsake Art Book portraying the artists in the show.
Tickets are $25 and available on Eventbrite or theslopoke.com.
For more information, call (805) 570-8088, fax (805) 569-1235, visit the-slopoke.com, or Facebook/Instagram #slopokewesternartshow.
For more information on Tucker’s artwork, visit ezratucker.com, email EzraTucker155@aol.com, or call (719) 487-0648.
