Staff Report

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its upcoming discussion series “Bio/Mass: Summer Artist Talks.” The three-part Zoom series will highlight six artists from the Wildling’s current exhibition, “Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature,” in conversation with one another — Karen Kitchel and Catherine Eaton Skinner, Scott Chatenever and Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, and Maria Rendón and Sommer Roman. 

The three scheduled discussion dates are:

• Tuesday, July 20, 4 to 5 p.m.: Artists Karen Kitchel and Catherine Eaton Skinner, moderated by Stacey Otte-Demangate, Wildling Museum executive director.
• Tuesday, July 20, 4 to 5 p.m.: Artists Scott Chatenever and Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, moderated by Nicole Strasburg, “Bio/Mass“ exhibition co-curator.
• Wednesday, September 1, 4 to 5 p.m.: Artists Maria Rendón and Sommer Roman, moderated by Holli Harmon, “Bio/Mass“ exhibition co-curator.

The artists featured in “Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature” utilize a diverse range of media — including sculpture, found materials, ceramic, encaustic, mixed media and painting. Through this series, participants are invited to learn more about each artist’s individual practice and their process as observers and interpreters of the natural world around them. 

Whether examining patterns in nature, studying landscapes, or combining and recombining singular elements that accumulate into a revealing larger work, these artists have translated their deep observation and fascination with their individual environments into works that beckon viewers to find beauty in the details of our world, celebrating both quiet and dramatic moments in nature.

The suggested donation for each of these virtual programs is $5. To register and learn more about the participating artists, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/2021-summer-artist-talks. Please email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call 805-686-8315 with any questions. 

The Wildling Museum’s ongoing Zoom programming is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust. 

For more information on the Wildling Museum, and to volunteer or join as a member to support this important local arts and nature institution, please visit www.wildlingmuseum.org. Additional digital resources are available at www.wildlingmuseum.org/virtual-visit, including online galleries from all current exhibitions, links to art activities, videos, and more to help online visitors experience the museum from home.

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Staff Report

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its 2021 reopening, featuring two new exhibitions: “Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature,” on view through Sept. 5, and “Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County,” on view through Oct. 3.

The public is invited to visit during walk-in hours, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Current museum members may also visit by appointment Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. by contacting Julie Mock at julie@wildlingmuseum.org or calling 805-688-1082. Museum hours will be expanded over time, check www.wildlingmuseum.org/visit prior to your visit for current hours and COVID-19 procedures. 

Visitors to the Wildling Museum will find a visual feast in the galleries with distinct work by contemporary artists utilizing a diverse range of media – including sculpture, found natural materials, ceramic, encaustic, mixed media and painting. On the first floor, “Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature” invites viewers to engage with art through the eyes of the artists as observers and interpreters of the world around them. 

In this exhibition, co-curators Holli Harmon and Nicole Strasburg selected 11 contemporary artists who create work in series, exploring some element of nature. 

“This show speaks to a labor of love,” Harmon said. “These artists have invested countless hours and creative reflection from their explorations and recordings of nature, and in doing so, they help us stop time and look more closely and thoughtfully at our natural world.” 

“This collected group of artists are amassed to reveal a diverse commentary on nature through meditative repetition,” Strasburg said. “Despite the quarantine, creativity bubbles forth just as nature finds a way to survive and thrive.”

Whether examining natural patterns, studying the same location over a long period of time, or combining and recombining singular elements that accumulate into a revealing larger work, these artists have translated their deep observation and fascination with their individual environments into works that beckon viewers to find beauty in the details of our world, celebrating both quiet and dramatic moments in nature.

“Bio/Mass: Contemporary Meditations on Nature” features artists Scott Chatenever, Lynn Hanson, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Karen Kitchel, Maria Rendón, John Robertson, Sommer Roman, Carol Saindon, Catherine Eaton Skinner, Libby Smith and Nicole Strasburg.

Accompanying the new first floor exhibition is “Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County,” which celebrates the outdoor treasures of the Central Coast with 38 artworks created by 27 local artists. 

Member artists of the Oak Group, SLOPE (San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment) and SCAPE (Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment) were invited by the Wildling to participate in this juried invitational exhibition showcasing the trail systems in Santa Barbara County. A key goal of the exhibition, in partnership with Healthy People Healthy Trails and the Santa Barbara County Trails Council, is to raise awareness of the wealth of trails located in Santa Barbara County and to inspire visitors and community members to explore them, while encouraging a healthier lifestyle. 

Trails highlighted in the show range from the South Coast, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley and Lompoc Valley regions, including trails located at Carpinteria Bluffs, Goleta’s Lake Los Carneros and Ellwood Mesa, to La Purisima State Historic Park, Cachuma Lake, and many more.

“Igniting an interest in our environment through art is at the heart of the Wildling Museum’s mission,” says Stacey Otte-Demangate, executive director at the Wildling Museum. “We’re excited to be partnering with Healthy People Healthy Trails to energize our community to take advantage of the beautiful outdoor resources we have available to us here in Santa Barbara County.” 

“Through the pandemic, I think we’ve all begun to look for new ways to explore our own backyard,” says Lauren Sharp, assistant director at the Wildling Museum. “Seeing these trails through the eyes of our talented community of artists is an inspiring reminder to get outside and up close with the rich nature surrounding us.”

“Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County” features artists Liz Alvarez, Anne Anderson, Neil W. Andersson, Rebecca Arguello, Susan Belloni, Deborah Breedon, Chris Chapman, Dennis Curry, Rick Drake, Karen Fedderson, Jan French, Britt Friedman, Kevin Gleason, Sandi Heller, Holly Hungett, Jane Hurd, John Iwerks, Daniel Jones, Bernie Kurtz, Anne Laddon, Manny Lopez, Jerry Martin, Ann Sanders, Rosanne Seitz, Laurel Sherrie, Libby Smith and Nina Warner

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Staff Report 

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its April virtual program, “Chuck Graham: Hidden Wonders of the Carrizo Plain,” taking place Wednesday, April 14, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Photographer and author Chuck Graham released his new book, “Carrizo Plain: Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands,” on the 20^th anniversary of the Carrizo Plain National Monument in January. In his upcoming presentation with the Wildling Museum, Graham will share his experiences photographing the wild landscape, native flora and fauna of the Carrizo Plain over the last 15 years.

“As a photographer, there isn’t a bad time for me to visit (the Carrizo Plain). It doesn’t always have to be about the Super Bloom phenomena,” Graham said. “I’ve never returned from the grasslands without at least a few quality images. Stunning light, puffy clouds, sweeping dramatic landscapes, and all its inhabitants are always there, yet it only requires me to simply slow down and scan the horizon.”

The Carrizo Plain has been a special subject for the Wildling Museum, which produced a short documentary film on the region with Jeff McLoughlin of Goodeye Films in 2019, and has also highlighted Carrizo Plain in past exhibitions.

“The Carrizo Plain is a critically important habitat. It’s the largest remaining grassland in California and home to thirteen endangered species,” says Stacey Otte-Demangate, executive director of the Wildling Museum. “Given its proximity to our area, we are always happy to bring more attention to this local treasure.”

The suggested donation for this virtual event is $5. To register and learn more, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/2021-chuck-graham-wonders-of-carrizo-plain.

Please email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call 805-686-8315 with any questions. The Wildling Museum’s ongoing Zoom programming is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust.

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Staff Report

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its March virtual program “Art Through the Window: A Conversation with Holli Harmon & Nicole Strasburg,” taking place Wednesday, March 24, from 4 to 5 p.m. 

Artists Holli Harmon and Nicole Strasburg are the creative force behind the Wildling’s two new art installations designed specifically to be viewed from the outside-in during its mandated COVID-19 closure. In their upcoming presentation, the two will discuss their process and the work that went on behind-the-scenes while creating these site-specific installations.

“I plan to focus on how an artist uses materials to express and communicate a story,” Harmon says. “We’ll look at what an art installation entails — and how we got to this point.”

Harmon will give attendees insight into how she moved from painting to building three dimensional clouds and planting live kokedama plants in the course of her work. 

The museum’s new immersive Tower Gallery installation “Holli Harmon: The Nature of Clouds” centers around a Norfolk Island Pine tree floating beneath bright blue, cumulus cloud-filled skies. Large chandelier crystals hang suspended by invisible thread from ceiling to floor in a brilliant rain shower as plants are suspended throughout at varying heights. These plants – made up of kokedama moss balls – are planted with coleus, spider plants and various succulents. Centered beneath the suspended crystals and plants are three weathered eucalyptus tree stumps, their faces covered with mirrors to reflect back the sky and patterns above. The exhibition will be on view through fall 2021.

Accompanying the new Tower Gallery exhibition is a window art installation titled “Wintering: A Fox Tale” by Strasburg. The series of papercut fox silhouettes was specially designed by Strasburg to bring joy and wonder to passersby during the museum’s extended closure. The public is invited to enjoy the works — which are illuminated at night — through spring 2021.

Both Harmon and Strasburg generously donated their time to the Wildling Museum in a joint effort to find creative ways to bring visibility to the museum while continuing to inspire and engage audiences during the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on indoor museums.

The suggested donation for this virtual event is $5. To register and learn more, visit: www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/2021-art-through-the-window.  

Please email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call (805) 686-8315 with any questions. 

The Wildling Museum’s ongoing Zoom programming is sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust. 

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By Lauren Sharp 

for the Wildling Museum

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is sponsoring an environmental poetry competition with the theme “Why Earth Day Matters,” inviting writers to interpret the importance of Earth Day in a variety of ways. The competition is open to Santa Barbara County residents of all ages, and the deadline to submit is 5 p.m. Monday, March 22.

The competition is a celebration of Earth Day, on April 22, and is intended to highlight the importance of standing up to protect the planet’s dwindling natural resources and working against the threats of climate change.

Poetry entries will be judged by poet Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, former poet laureate of Santa Barbara, 2015-17. The top three poems will be announced and read at the annual Santa Barbara Earth Day virtual celebration organized by the Community Environmental Council (CEC). CEC will focus on climate leadership for its 2021 Earth Day celebration.

For poetry competition guidelines and entry forms, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/2021-poetry-competition-why-earth-day-matters. Direct questions to info@wildlingmuseum.org or call 805-686-8315.

In addition to serving as the city’s poet laureate, Kincaid Rolle was one of the poets-laureate-in-residence at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History during its 2016 Centennial. The museum published “Moving Forward, Looking Back; Poems Celebrating Nature” as a part of that group residency.

In 2017, Kincaid Rolle, also a community activist, was profiled in Holli Harmon’s “Portraits of the Central Coast.” Kincaid Rolle has authored three collections of poetry: “The Mellow Yellow Global Umbrella,” “Common Ancestry,” and “Black Street.” A selection of her poems appears in “What Breathes Us: Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015” and “The Geography of Home.”

Her in-progress book, “Where The Hum Begins” is a collection of “place” poems inspired by the California Central Coast and beyond. She has engaged young poets through her Song of Place Poetry Project and the Santa Barbara Public Library, as well as the youth-serving programs City At Peace, Endowment for Youth, and various after-school programs.

Kincaid Rolle has served as chair of the annual MLKSB Essay and Poetry Contest, is a past board member of California Poets-in-the-Schools, and a former associate editor for “Sage Trail Poetry Magazine.” Her environmental activism includes work with Agua Pura, Sierra Club, Community Environmental Council and Watershed Resource Center.

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Staff Report

The Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County has announced the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature as its latest Innovator Green Business in Santa Barbara County. 

Certified Green Business Innovators have met the highest verifiable standards of sustainability set by the California Green Business Network by going above and beyond the basic requirements of Green Business certification, according to the program.

“It has always been an honor for our program to work with the Wildling Museum,” said Frances Gilliland, director of the Santa Barbara County Green Business Program.

“Everything they do, they do with our community and our planet in mind. Being able to recognize them as an Innovator Green Businesses is just one more example of their extraordinary work.”

Since the Wildling Museum opened its doors in 2000, it has hosted and organized over 65 exhibitions. The museum has shared the awe-inspiring works of giants like Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Maynard Dixon, Carl Oscar Borg and many more. Its exhibitions have surveyed the early history of wilderness art and showcased contemporary artists like Clyde Butcher, dedicated to bringing awareness to specific wilderness areas. 

The museum’s mission is to use art programs and exhibitions to connect its visitors and community to nature in hopes that it will awaken a desire to protect our wild areas and its inhabitants. The museum strives to collaborate with others for the betterment of the local communities, as displayed through the collaboration with the Green Business Program.

The Wildling has “walked the talk” by keeping up with the program’s certification standards throughout the years. 

“The recertification process was painless but also served as a good reminder that we can always strive to do better in almost any area of our operation — so it’s both motivating and enlightening.” said Stacey Otte-Demangate, the executive director at the Wildling Museum. “I had a few questions along the way, and the program director was very responsive and helpful.”

The museum has not only been certified and recertified, but this time around, the staff  decided to “up their game” by reaching the highest level of certification: Innovator status. 

“Because of our mission, I thought it was important to take it to the next level, which for us was switching to solar,” Otte-Demangate said. “We wanted to be a model for our community and visitors and live our values. Climate change is real and we are in a climate emergency. Going solar was the most impactful thing we could do at this point and we’re grateful that the Community Environmental Council (CEC) offered a program to help us do it affordably.” 

CEC’s Solarize program helps nonprofit organizations install solar systems, and within about six years, organizations will fully own the solar system, translating to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings on electric bills over time.

In addition to the achievement of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by installing solar, the museum also implements practices that support the community and promote social equity, and have significantly lowered its environmental footprint by implementing a telecommute option.

The Wildling Museum has certainly achieved its vision to be recognized as an exceptional and innovative leader in inspiring the community and visitors to value wilderness. Please join us in honoring them and our other new certified Green Businesses at the program’s virtual certification celebration on Wednesday, March 24. To learn more about the event, visit https://greenbusinessca.org/SantaBarbaraCounty/news-and-events

To learn more about the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, visit https://wildlingmuseum.org/ To learn more about the Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County, visit https://greenbusinessca.org/SantaBarbaraCounty, and to learn more about the California Green Business Network, visit https://greenbusinessca.org/

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The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will host its 20^th Anniversary Virtual Fundraiser on Oct. 16, sponsored by Northern Trust. Due to restrictions on gatherings imposed by COVID-19, this virtual event will take the place of the Wildling’s annual Spring BBQ and fall Art of Brunch. Attendees are invited to raise a glass to virtually toast the Wildling and help celebrate 20 years of bringing quality art and nature exhibitions and programs to the community.

Photo contributed
A gallery view of the Wildling’s current exhibition, 20/20: A Retrospective, which honors the museum’s 20-year history.

Emcee and auctioneer Jim Farnum will guide guests through a lively event full of special tributes, beautiful art and fun bidding wars on great live auction items. Attendees will also enjoy a video tour of the museum’s 20^th anniversary exhibition, 20/20: A Retrospective, which celebrates 20 years of exhibitions highlighting stories of local natural areas, endangered species, and far-flung landscapes that inspire travel. Most importantly, given the museum’s six months of mandated closure, this virtual event will help raise funds that will be doubled by Wildling Museum board member Kate Godfrey, up to $15,000.

The Wildling’s Silent Auction will feature one-of-a-kind art, jewelry, local wines, dining and lodging packages, and more. Silent auction bidding will be open online from Oct. 9-16, closing at 5 p.m. on event day. The live auction will feature a four-night stay at a private guesthouse in the Santa Ynez Valley; a three-night stay at a vacation home in the beautiful Mission Creek area of Santa Barbara with a private tour and outdoor breakfast at Creekspirit, the garden full of the amazing mosaics of Wildling founder Patti Jacquemain; a hand-made fox-themed quilt; and a Cambria overnight getaway.

There is no cost to attend, however online registration in advance is required. Once registered, guests will receive an email with the link to join the event. Learn more about the event and register in advance at: www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/virtual-anniversary 

The Wilding Museum is seeking additional sponsors and auction donations. Contact Stacey Otte-Demangate at stacey@wildlingmuseum.org or call 805-686-8216 to discuss available sponsorship opportunities. To donate to the Wildling’s silent and live auctions, contact Lauren Sharp at lauren@wildlingmuseum.org or call (805) 686-8315.

Special thanks to lead sponsors Kate and Dick Godfrey, Northern Trust, and Judy and Jack Stapelmann. 

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The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to welcome artist Holli Harmon for the next installment of the museum’s digital presentation series on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 4 p.m. via Zoom. 

Harmon previously exhibited at the Wildling Museum as part of The River’s Journey in 2018. On July 31, she opened a new exhibition at Santa Barbara’s Sullivan Goss Gallery featuring her most recent body of work, Califia, referencing the mythical female warrior who became the state of California’s namesake. 

Harmon earned her master’s degree from San Diego State University. She has attended Santa Barbara City College for life drawing and printmaking classes as well as the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass., and Sedona Arts Center in Sedona, Ariz.

Presentation participants will enjoy learning more about Harmon’s artistic process, along with an up-close look at her many different techniques, including monoprinting, oil painting, mixed media and more.

Layers of regional flora, fauna and culture make their way throughout Harmon’s work as she explores California landscapes and subject matter, often using the female figure as a storyteller through her vivid compositions. 

“My work revolves around human experiences that are connection points between different cultures and generations set in iconic California imagery,” says Harmon. “My paintings are material records of these places and people.”

To register for this event, visit: www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/holli-harmon-califia-and-beyond. Admission to this event is free, however donations to support the Wildling Museum’s digital programming efforts are greatly appreciated. Donations may be made online at www.wildlingmuseum.org/donate

The live presentation is limited to the first 100 registrants. A recording of the presentation will be available following the event. Please email info@wildlingmuseum.org or call (805) 686-8315 with any questions.

Califia is on view at Sullivan Goss Gallery from July 31- September 21, 2020. Learn more at www.holliharmon.com and www.sullivangoss.com.

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While the Wildling Museum is currently closed due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the museum is pleased to announce the online exhibition “Inspired in Nature,” featuring works by 29 Solvang School yearbook and media students. 

The seventh- and eighth-graders were inspired by American transcendentalist writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s quote: “All good things are wild and free.” 

Students were tasked with the challenge of applying their photography skills to develop an image that captured the essence of Thoreau’s quote. Specifically, students focused on color and contrast, symmetry, and depth of field in planning and executing their individual visions. 

2020 Solvang School media and yearbook class is shown at the school. Courtesy Alyssa Spanier

The students turned their lenses to nature, many finding inspiration in their own backyard, with subjects ranging from pets and family members to local landscapes and sunsets captured in both color and black and white.

“Natural beauty can truly be discovered anywhere, and if this show helped students discover the outdoors and ignited their creativity through photography, it’s already an incredible achievement,” said Wildling Museum Executive Director Stacey Otte-Demangate. 

The Wildling Museum is grateful to former Los Angeles Times and NFL professional photographer George Rose, who judged the students’ work and awarded the top three works, along with honorable mentions. 

“These students presented a great diversity of subject matter with thoughtful captions all capturing their assigned theme,” said Rose. “I was impressed to see black and white photography included in the exhibit, as it’s often the most difficult to transfer to print. These students should be commended for their photography skills.”

Rose awarded First Place to Itzel Medina for a black and white portrait among the trees titled, “When Serenity Calms the Storm.” Second Place went to “A Settled Leaf” by Sophia Delacruz, and Third Place was awarded to Naomi Ferguson for “A Walk to Peace.” Honorable mentions were awarded to Amy Rodriguez Buenrostro for “Be Fearless,” Shannon Morehouse for “Behind the Clouds,” and Addie Shelly for “Growing Wild and Free.”

The students’ instructor, Alyssa Spanier, has been teaching for five years at Solvang School, and this is her third year as the media and yearbook advisor. 

“Solvang School is very excited about our partnership with the Wildling Museum to create this exhibit and share our students’ work with the community for the second year in a row,” she said.

In the media and yearbook class, students learn through individual and group projects about various media forms including print, digital, video and audio. They also explore photography and the elements of design to develop the school yearbook. 

A full online gallery of all Solvang School student work featured in the “Inspired by Nature” exhibition is available on the Wildling Museum’s website at www.wildlingmuseum.org/news/inspired-in-nature-2020. 

Additional digital resources are available at www.wildlingmuseum.org/virtual-visit, including online galleries from all current exhibitions, links to art activities, videos, and more to help online visitors find engaging art escapes to pass the time while staying safe while practicing social distancing.

The Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, where art and nature meet, offers visitors a unique perspective on the importance of preserving our natural heritage. Through the eyes of artists, and education and field experiences, guests can renew their relationship with the wilderness and understand its fragile nature – hopefully leaving more committed toward ensuring those spaces remain for future generations. For more information, and to volunteer or join as a member to support this important local arts and nature institution, please visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.

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The community is invited to join the Wildling Museum for the final day of its Celebrating the National Lands of California exhibit for a panel discussion featuring artists Patricia Hedrick, James Hodgson, Alan Sonneman (first place winner) and Nancy Yaki (third-place winner), 3-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at 1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang.

Visitors will learn about the artists’ individual processes and inspiration, as well as their experiences working in California’s national lands.

Admission is $5 for Wildling Museum members, $10 for non-members. Tickets available online at www.wildlingmuseum.org/programs-events or by calling 805-686-8315.

Celebrating the National Lands of California is a juried exhibition featuring 63 artworks by 57 artists from across the U.S. Locations featured in the show include:

Carrizo Plain National Monument, Channel Islands National Park, Death Valley National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Joshua Tree National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Point Reyes National Preserve, Redwoods National Park, San Jacinto National Monument, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park.

Support for Celebrating the National Lands of California is provided by the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, Pete and Becky Adams, Tierra Alta Vineyards, and Donors to the Patti Jacquemain Exhibition Fund.

Hedrick is a native Californian, who was raised in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. She earned a B.A. in fine art from Pitzer College, Claremont, and has practiced as a freelance illustrator for the, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara News-Press and UCSB.

After moving to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1989, Hedrick joined local Save the Sedgwick Ranch efforts to preserve the land from development.

Inspired by the natural landscape and open spaces of the Santa Ynez Valley, Hedrick has dedicated her attention to the landscape with a particular interest in atmospheric effects, typically captured in pastel.

She has exhibited at local museums and galleries, including individual and group shows at the Easton Gallery in Santa Barbara and Young’s Gallery in Los Olivos, as well as a 2013 retrospective at the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art in Solvang.

Above-the-Valley, artwork by James Hodgson.

Hodgson was born in Alberta, Canada, in 1956 and grew up in Santa Barbara. His love of birdwatching started at age 11, when he went on his first Audubon birdwatching trip. He later began sketching and painting birds and wildlife as part his lifelong study of birds, reptiles and mammals.

Hodgson’s career as a mechanical designer in the engineering field has honed his illustrative technique; his precision and attention to detail is reflected in his painting style, which combines accurate detail with muted abstract backgrounds. He spends hours in the field drawing inspiration from actual experiences and encounters with his subjects.

Hodgson uses field notes, sketches, and his own photography to compose his pieces in the studio. Careful attention is given to the authenticity of habitat and anatomy of his subjects.

Hodgson believes it’s imperative we protect our remaining wild lands and habitats to ensure rich biodiversity and ecological health of the planet. He hopes his paintings will help the viewer appreciate how much is at stake and motivate them to protect our environment.

“It would be such a loss for future generations to not know the beauty of these creatures,” he said.

Hodgson is a self-taught painter and works primarily in oil on hand-stretched linen canvas and custom frames each piece. His paintings hang in private homes and collections throughout the Western United States and Canada. For more, visit www.hodgsonfineart.com.

Sonneman, who lives in Palo Alto, was born and raised in Winona, Minn. He briefly attended Northwestern University in Illinois before graduating from The San Francisco Art Institute in 1975. He spent several years working for galleries and museums on the East Coast before moving back to California in 1982 to divide his time between the fine arts and the film industry.

Sonneman’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S., including the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Katzen Center at American University in Washington, D.C.; Southwest Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC; Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA; and Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA, in conjunction with his mural for the Riverside Hall of Justice.

His mural commissions include the lobby of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian.

He has received grants and fellowships from the Neddie Marie Jones Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Sequoia Parks Foundation. In film, Sonneman has contributed to such movies as “Cliffhangers,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Fifth Element,” “Titanic,” “Matrix Revolution,” “A.I.,” and “What Dreams May Come.”

From 1997-2001 he was an artist for Steven Spielberg’s company Dreamworks. For more visit: www.alansonneman.com.

Yaki, an Alaska- and California-based artist, said she feels most at home wherever she can find the powerful elements of nature and translate them into works of art. Traveling with her watercolors to capture scenes onsite, she might be sailing along the Aleutian Islands or trekking in the high western desert.

Internationally known for her contemporary and evocative style, Yaki embarks on far-flung journeys for artistic inspiration. After amassing raw material along the way in the form of her watercolor sketches, she returns to her studio and curates the most compelling images to transform into larger works.

Though her creations elicit comparisons to historical and contemporary masters, Yaki’s work is simultaneously acknowledged as stunningly original and inventive. Her art has been published worldwide and has earned multiple international awards. She has been featured in art textbooks and major art periodicals, as well as museums and gallery exhibitions.

For more information, visit: www.nancyaki.com.

For more about the Wildling, and to volunteer and/or join as a member, visit www.wildlingmuseum.org.

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