"Custodian" selected for Birds in Art 2013

“Birds in Art 2013”
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Wausau, Wisconsin
September 7–November 10, 2013

"Custodian (Ruppell’s Vulture)"
Graphite Pencil on Arches #300 watercolor paper
10 x 17

Robert is extremely honored to announce that his drawing “Custodian (Ruppell’s Vulture)" has been selected to appear at the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s “Birds in Art” 2013 exhibition. The exhibit will run from September 7–November 10, 2013, at Wausau, Wisconsin, museum.

Organized annually since 1976 by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, “Birds in Art” presents the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. Each year, a jury selects approximately 100 works to take part in the exhibit. This year, 605 artists from around the world submitted 974 pieces of art. Robert is one of 94 juried artists selected for the exhibit; the show will also include the work of nearly 20 master wildlife artists. This year’s new master artist is fellow artist, mentor and friend Terry Miller, a master in graphite pencil and composition.

“Some would call this an ugly bird,” Robert said of his selected piece. “I see a majestic bird, a bird perched on its throne, a king looking out upon its vast lands. Although it’s not a kingdom that many would want to reign over, its kingdom is that of the custodian. They maintain order by keeping things clean.

During his 2012 visit to Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, Africa, Robert took a game drive near Silale Swamp. “We drove that day through two heavy rains and had just broken through the rain front and were coming down the backside of a hill near the swamp when I saw a large bird perched in a dead acacia tree,” he said.

“At this point in the day, it’s quiet. There aren’t many animals out, and trees are sparse around the swamp. But there was this Ruppell’s Vulture just perched elegantly in the upper branches of the barren tree. The backend of the rain clouds gave the sky a light even tone that stretched across the backdrop of the vulture and its throne. It just seemed like such a powerful setting for what can be perceived as such an unwanted position, king or custodian.”

This drawing will also be featured in Robert’s upcoming instructional book, “Draw Realistic Animals: Wildlife, Pets & More,” published by North Light Books and slated for release in June 2014.

For more information about the exhibition or Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, please visit them online at lywam.org.

“Kutokua Na Hatia” selected for Art and the Animal

I am very honored to announce that my new drawing “Kutokua Na Hatia (Colobus Monkey)” has been selected for the prestigious Society of Animal Artists exhibition, Art and the Animal.

“Art and the Animal”

53rd Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists

Bennington Center for the Arts

Bennington, Vermont

August 31 - October 31, 2013

“Kutokua Na Hatia (Colobus Monkey)”

Graphite Pencil on Arches #300 watercolor paper

15 x 6

Robert’s drawing “Kutokua Na Hatia (Colobus Monkey)” has been selected to appear at the Society of Animal Artists exhibition “Art and the Animal,” August 31 through October 31, 2013, at the Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington, Vermont.

This is the society’s 53rd annual exhibition of the world’s best wildlife artists. The jury this year had the overwhelming task of selecting from 374 submissions by 234 artists.

The Bennington Center for the Arts brings world-class fine art, history and theatre to the residents and visitors of Southwestern Vermont. The center’s permanent art collection, sales exhibitions, live theatre and exhibits within the Covered Bridge Museum are available throughout the year.

Inspired by his 2012 African safari, “Kutokua Na Hatia,” in Swahili, roughly translates to “innocence/free of guilt.” Robert spent the last day of his travels in Arusha National Park, which boasts many different animals than those he observed in the earlier part of his trip in Tarangire. The park’s habitat is almost jungle-like.

“I entered the park knowing that it served as home to black-and-white colobus monkeys, and I will admit I was really hoping that I would have the chance to see them,” he said.

Arusha National Park lies on the side of Mount Meru, an active volcano. As Robert and his guide made their way up the edge of the crater wall, they could see Mount Kilimanjaro through the tree canopy and just around a bend in the path, they spotted a grouping of colobus monkeys. The dense trees made it tricky for Robert to capture reference material but on his way down from the crater, he caught a glimpse of white.

“My guide, Jeremy, very excitedly turned to me and said something in Swahili and pointed up at the monkeys,” Robert said. “Even though I had been in the country for more than a week at this point and I felt like I was getting a grasp on the language, I had no idea what he said but I looked up and saw this little innocent face looking down at us. Baby colobus monkeys, I learned, are born with pure white fur but don't stay that way for long so I was extremely fortunate to have seen this little guy.”

This drawing will also be featured in Robert’s upcoming instructional book, “Draw Realistic Animals: Wildlife, Pets & More,” published by North Light Books and slated for release in June 2014.

For more information about the exhibition or the Society of Animal Artists please visit them online at societyofanimalartists.com.

Lion goes to Vermont

"Margin (Lioness)" travels to Bennington, Vermont

Art of the Animal Kingdom XVIII

Bennington Center for the Arts

Bennington, Vermont

June 15 - August 25, 2013

"Margin (Lioness)"

Graphite Pencil on Arches #300 watercolor paper

5 x 19

Robert's drawing "Margin (Lioness)" has been selected to appear at the 2013 Art of the Animal Kingdom exhibitions, June 15 through August 25, 2013, in Bennington, Vermont.

The Bennington Center for the Arts brings world-class fine art, history and theatre to the residents and visitors of Southwestern Vermont. The center's permanent art collection, sales exhibitions, live theatre and exhibits within the Covered Bridge Museum are available throughout the year.

Considered one of the most prestigious wildlife exhibitions in the country, this year's Art of the Animal Kingdom features 65 pieces of art. Carel Brest van Kempen is this year's special guest artist and juror of the exhibition.

I had to travel halfway around the world to find "margin" and realize that I was missing it. 

On November 7, 2012, I was on a game drive in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, Africa, with my friend and fellow artist James Gary Hines, a photographer, when we crossed paths with two female lions. What a wonderful sight! These were the first lions that I had seen in the wild. We were driving on the outlying area, the margin, of Silale Swamp, which doesn't look like a swamp at all, when we saw one lion off to our left and another on our right. The one on the right was sitting up looking at the other lion, and you could sense that she wanted to cross the road and go to her mother or sister down in the tall grasses under an umbrella acacia tree.

With my camera ready, I sat back and waited for her to cross the road. What an amazing sight; she strolled out across the dirt road and into the tall grasses, and with every step, I could see every muscle flex as she glided into the tall grass. I was amazed by how well she blended into the grass, the lightness of her fur blending into the stalks. This is what I wanted to capture in my drawing, how, moving ever so silently in the grass, the lion became part of her environment. 

When I returned from Africa, friends would ask, "So, how was it?" I had the hardest time explaining how great my trip to Africa was. I couldn't put exactly what I experienced besides the obvious into words. What I found out later was that I experienced "margin," the parts of the day that nothing else is planned for (we used to call this spare time). I had time to visit with friends, linger over dinner, look off into the distance with nothing else more important on my mind other than taking in the scene before me. I drew this piece to remind me that margin in your life is important, and that we should guard that precious time with friends and family, long dinner conversations and those moments of taking in the landscapes in front of us.

This drawing will also be featured in Robert's upcoming instructional book "Draw Realistic Animals: Wildlife, Pets & More," published by North Light Books and slated for release in June 2014.

For more information about the exhibition or the Bennington Center for the Arts please call them at 802.442.7158 or visit them online at www.thebennington.org.

 

Thirty Three, Part 1

A conservation project in the making...

Over the last two weeks I have been working with a producer to create a unique video for a project that I hope will raise $1650 for African Wildlife Trust to help in the anti-poaching campaign for elephants. Below is our "test" video of my current piece on the drawing board, "Three Camels." We still have some issues to resolve especially a consistent light source which means I will probably have to block my window for the duration of this project but it for a good cause.

This project will raise $1650  through  the sale of a special Conservation Limited Edition print and DVD package that my producer and myself are collaborating on. I will have more details coming out in the next two-three weeks but to give you a bit of the idea behind this, there will be only 33 prints. Through this campaign I personally hope to raise $1650 and then have a call to action that will raise an additional $1650 in contributions to AWT that will total $3300. This represents the 33 elephants a day that are killed in Tanzania along.

   

In return and he said a lion.

November 7, 2012

Two lions spotted at Silale

Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa

Field Sketch

Another field sketch drawn while in Africa, I delivered this to one of my collectors just a few weeks ago.

I drew this little sketch back in my tent the night after we had the fortune of seeing two female lions on the edge of Silale swamp which doesn't look like a swamp. This sketch was the "warm up" for my drawing "Margin (Lion)" (I'll post about this drawing later). The collector who received this was extremely gracious enough to lend me his very nice camera body for my adventure in Africa, I asked him what I could give him in return and he said a lion. Well I of course couldn't bring a lion home but I could create a sketch of what I saw, two magnificent lions in the tall grasses of Africa.

My collector was pleasantly surprised and asked if he could lend me his camera for my next adventure.

How Fantastic?

To a friend who loves cats!

I had the honor and privilege last night to have dinner with a collector of my art who is also a very dear friend and present her with this field sketch from Africa. She was caught completely off guard because she had no idea that she was getting the sketch. I thought it was the least I could do since she has supported me over these many years not just with adding a few of my pieces to her collection but by telling me again and again that my work was good enough even when I thought different.

This sketch was drawn in my tent the second night after I had the great fortune to have seen two female lions just on the rim of Silale swamp  which doesn't really look like a swamp. After another great day of game drives, a fantastic sunset by the fire pit with a glass of wine at Kikoti Camp and a superb dinner I went back to my tent to do a little sketching. The funny part about this little story was that I was awoken early in the morning, 4:30am, by a very loud running, pouncing sound followed by a great roar! I don’t know if it was a lion or not but how fantastic was it to have heard such a sound!?!

Drawing of a dog needed!!!

Commission wanted!

I just received word from my editor that they are looking for one more drawing for my book titled “Draw Realistic Animals; Wildlife, Pets & More.” This book is being released in June 2014 and each drawing will be demonstrated in the book step by step.

What I am I looking for is a portrait type piece to draw of a Dog with medium to long hair. If you in the Richmond, Virginia area we can do a quick photo shoot with your dog, if you do not live in the Richmond area then a very good reference photo will be required. The image will need to be clear and have very good lighting, it must have shadows.

The drawing will be roughly around 6 x 9 on Arches 300# watercolor paper as all of my drawings are with the same level of finish as you seen in my other work. I will give a 10% discount from my commission price of the drawing as well as your drawing being featured in the book as a demo.

If you are interested in having a commission of your dog created, having that drawing featured in the up coming book then please contact me as soon as possible. I need to move on this within the next two weeks. You of course will receive a free autographed copy of the book!

Please email me with your interest at robert@rlcaldwell.com

A recently finished drawing that will be featured in the book....

"Kikoti Askari Siku (Red-headed Agama)"

Graphite Pencil on Arches 300# watercolor paper

11 x 7