"Grandpa Jackson" by Rachelle, measures 2 3/4 inches.

        My latest miniature portrait painting titled, “Grandpa Jackson”, was done from a photo I took of my very dear and much loved Grandpa many years ago, while we were taking a short break from fishing. He was one of my best buddies and taught me many of life’s greatest lessons. He also taught me how to do wood working among other things like building stud walls and how to frame windows. For awhile I was even quite proud to be able to drive a nail in two hammer hits, and contrary to what Wes says they were long nails! I was always as proud as a peach when grandpa would tell someone, “This is my number one granddaughter”! As one can well imagine it was a great honor and a joy for me to paint my late grandpa

"The California Coast" by Wes, measures 2 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches".

        Wes’ miniature painting “The California Coast”, was painted from a photo taken during a wonderful trip we took a year ago last spring, to southern California. The location is in the beautiful La Jolla Cove and was simply splendid with all of the gorgeous wildflowers! The many species of birds were quite happy to call this lovely spot home.

Jeanie, George and I on top of Huckleberry Bald.

        The last day of Wes’ parents visit, we took a drive along the beautiful Cherohala Skyway and enjoyed a couple of hikes. My favorite was one in which you’re walking along a tree lined road for quite a distance, and then suddenly the woods opens up to a grassy field. When you first reach it, all you see is a sea of golden-colored grasses swaying to and fro in the breeze where it meets a seamlessly endless blue sky! As you continue up the small rise, your eyes are treated to a natural feast as the endless sea of grass gives way to a spectacular view of the many layers of mountain ranges in the distance. At this point I felt as if I were on top of the world with almost a 360 degree view all around. The weather was also gorgeous with plenty of sunshine and blue skies, topped with a splendid breeze, which made it all the better!!

Jeanie and I on the beautiful Huckleberry Bald.

        As you can see in the above photo, it was a bit on the cool side the day of our hike. Although I had on a long sleeved shirt, a sweater, insulated vest and gloves, I still did not succumb to long pants . . . . it must be a Florida thing, as I’m not quite ready to give up summer quite yet

Heritage Center Concert in Townsend, Tennessee.

        We enjoyed another wonderful concert at our local Heritage center during Wes’ parents visit as well. It was a great and  chilly evening as we listened to “rockabilly” music played by three very talented musicians!

        We’re really happy to announce that we now have two more solo museum exhibitions scheduled that will be featuring our miniature paintings! These will be different from our upcoming solo show at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery since these paintings will feature only our wildlife subjects. Wes and I are really looking forward to spending a week in Louisiana to attend the shows in Shreveport and Baton Rouge.
The World of Nature in Miniature: Paintings by Wes and Rachelle Siegrist
Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director

Premiere:
The West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, LA, Sunday, May 16 through Saturday, July 31, 2010

Tour Venues:
Sept. 1 – Nov. 15, 2010: Open/Pending
December 11, 2010 – March 13, 2011: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

This exhibition will feature 50 of the Siegrists’ miniature paintings of wildlife drawn from their book The World of Nature in Miniature: Paintings by Wes and Rachelle Siegrist.

Until next time ~ Rachelle

Mommy and baby Bandit enjoying their day time naps on our back porch.

        The Bandits are back and this past Friday, both mommy and baby enjoyed sleeping on our back deck during the day. Baby Bandit is still quite small and so very precious. Throughout the day I took breaks as I was painting, to look out our studio window and see baby Bandit stretching, yawning or pulling up his foot to play and bite on its toes . . . such a cutie!! I check first thing each morning to see if they’re going to spend the day with us. Dovecakes has continued to come for treats as well as Peedeepeeps. It’s a busy job keeping them all fed and happy, alas someone has to do it

Chippy being a peanut, piggy face and a beautiful Garter Snake.

        Wes’ parents arrived late Thursday in time to unpack and enjoy supper with us. Friday was spent watching the rain fall throughout the day, but ended with a lovely evening enjoying another wonderful concert at our local Heritage Center. Sunday afternoon we went on a nice hike and enjoyed absolutely gorgeous weather! It felt like a fall day with the crisp, cool air and a nice breeze bringing down the leaves in a swirling motion creating a ballet in the air.

A young Black Bear on little river trail in the Great Smokies.

Yellow Spindle Coral mushroom; Helvella mushroom, spotted alongside the trail.

        A highlight from this hike was obviously seeing the beautiful, young Black Bear. I was down by the river floating leaves and watching them go over the small waterfalls, when my childish pleasures were broken with Wes announcing to come slowly as there was a bear approaching where I was. Needless to say I bounded up the river bank in a mere four steps before realizing it was a young one. We watched for a bit as it went down the river edge and then slowly crossed the path before going in the woods on the other side. After all of the recent rain, the lush, green moss and several spices of mushrooms were in their prime. Of course I had to stop constantly to pet the moss.

Me as a tree.

Jean and George in front of Meigs Falls.

        From the photo above of “me as a tree”, you can tell I have a very active imagination, and had great fun with this piece of Sycamore bark that I found. The waterfall was flowing in full splendor, with the recent rains, and was beautiful! I’m sure they’ll find their way into a miniature painting in the near future. After the hike, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Gatlinburg and came home to peaceful Townsend afterwards.

George and I at the waterfall along the Little River Trail.

        Now we’re off to dinner at Pizza Hut where we’ll be joining Fred and Barb as well as Gregg and Judy Murray.  It’s sure fun to have other wildlife artists as neighbors!

Until next time ~ Rachelle

"Rhapsody in Blue" by Rachelle, measures 3 X 2 inches.

        My latest miniature painting, “Rhapsody in Blue”, was painted from a photo of a still life that I set up earlier this summer. It features my “entire” collection of colbalt blue bottles and the beautiful vase given me by my Mother. The natural sunlight worked in my favor casting the perfect amount of light from the living room window. I enjoyed playing this up a bit, hence the warm glow.

"Tennessee Stream" by Wes, measures 3 1/2 X 2 1/2 inches.

        Wes’ miniature painting, “Tennessee Stream”, was painted from a photo taken on one of our hikes that starts at a trailhead not far from our home here in Townsend.

My beloved Dovecakes feeling pleasantly plump after a meal of sunflower seeds.

        My sweet and beautiful Dovecakes continues to visit our back deck several times each day to enjoy her handout of sunflower seeds. A couple of days ago while she sat by me eating and enjoying her treats, one of our resident baby Cardinals decided to get in on the action by walking over and snatching a few seeds. Dovecakes was not at all happy with this condition of sharing and began eating at a high rate of speed to try and prevent this precious little cardinal from eating “her” seeds. It was actually quite amusing watching them, with Dovecakes keeping an eye on him, while she continued consuming her loot,  with the baby snatching another seed here and there. Needless to say I personally was thrilled with being able to enjoy my baby Cardinal at such close proximity.

Bandit resting in his new favorite spot.

        Bandit the Raccoon, has been enjoying sleeping between the roof of our porch and the house. He now seems to have a favorite place that he can usually be found in during the day. He casts us a casual glance that seems to say “yes, do you need something?” when we step out on the porch and have a look up at him. He probably enjoys being out of what seems like endless rain these days. It’s staying so wet in Townsend that moss is actually growing on the cows! We’ve still been trying to take our daily walks, usually with umbrellas. Obviously, it’s going to be a very wet fall!

Vicious, the Black Snake in one of our Cedar Trees.

        Wes looked out our dining room window one day this past week and exclaimed “What is that?”.  Upon closer inspection with binoculars, we discovered it was indeed Vicious our resident Black Snake and not a bird or feathers high up in our Cedar Tree. It was quite an interesting location for him which he continued to enjoy for quite some time.
Well, at least as the rain continues to fall outside, we continue to get a lot more painting done on our current miniatures.

         This week our paintings can be seen in person at the following shows:
- Blossom Art of Flowers at the Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH
- Small Works Show at the Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT
- The 49th Annual Art and the Animal Exhibition at the Rolling Hills Wildlife Museum, Salina, KS
- It’s a Small World Show at Elderstreet Gallery, Houston, TX
- Western Visions Miniatures & More Show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, WY

Please visit our website for the full schedule and more information on these exhibits: http://www.artofwildlife.com/exhibitschedule.html

Until next time ~ Rachelle

"Rock Dove" by Rachelle, measures 1 3/4 X 1 3/4".

        After trying to get caught up on paperwork and all of the other “fun stuff” upon returning home this past week, most of our time is once again being spent at the easels. My painting shown above titled “Rock Dove” was painted from a photo that was taken in California, during our time spent there, last spring. It was almost a magical setting with all of the beautiful wildflowers blooming in pink everywhere, gracefully cascading down the sides of the stone cliff edges.

"As Good as it Gets" by Wes, measures 2 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches.

        Wes’ miniature painting “As Good As It Gets”, was done from a photo taken during our visit to Rolling Hills Wildlife adventure, in Salina, Kansas,  last weeks. We were fortunate to be there at the right time, and enjoyed watching this rhino taking great pleasure in rolling and wallowing in its mudhole. As we stood watching and photographing it, we stated what a great miniature painting this would make, and it did!

"Under Mother's Care" by Rachelle, measures 3 1/4 X 1 1/4 inches.

         “Under Mother’s Care” was done from a photo that I took at the Louisville Zoo several years ago. Even though these beautiful Doves weren’t part of the “official” exhibits, they caught my attention, as birds always do, and I enjoyed watching them in their little quiet secluded world for a bit. The nest was inside of a wooden fence with the space between the slats serving as the door. I thought this unusual composition would give the viewer the feeling of being afforded a personal glimpse into their private little world.

Mommy Bandit and babies enjoying the water.

        While Dove Cakes and the Wrens continue to enjoy their daily handout of treats, this week the mommy Raccoon brought her three very precious babies to the secret garden for leftover nuts and water. Since this took place in the afternoon, Wes and I enjoyed front row seats form our top deck and thoroughly enjoyed watching the family as they searched and occasionally took time for play. A younger Bandit has been enjoying the secluded spot, in between our house roof and porch roof, for daily naps.

Visiting the secret garden.

        We also enjoyed a lovely evening of music this past Thursday. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performed in an outdoor park in nearby Maryville. Wes and I met friends there and we all enjoyed the beautiful music while also taking in the pretty and lush surroundings. As the sun set, it reflected on the ornamental top of the courthouse which was behind the stage, providing a stunning backdrop. The Cicadas joined in with the symphony until darkness fell, getting louder when the music would get louder and quieter when the music became softer. It was almost as if they had practiced along with them earlier that afternoon. As evening fell and the air became heavy the music sounded wonderful and rich.  A favorite song of the evening was a stunning piece written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The experience  made for another great memory!

Until next time ~ Rachelle

Wes and I by our paintings featured in the SAA show.

        We arrived in Colorado a little over a week ago and were greeted by the smiling, friendly faces of our dear friends Diane and Bob Mason at the Denver airport. We enjoyed staying a couple of days with them, including a day trip into beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park. Although the vistas were spectacular, the highlights for me are always watching the little critters. The time passed all too quickly as several of us sat along a stone wall while being entertained by the Picas, Golden Mantled Squirrels and the little Chipmunks. The Pica was the busiest, as it darted quickly back and forth with bits of grass in its mouth which it was storing under various rocks to be used for food this winter. All of this took place with a most beautiful backdrop of the mountains behind.

Myself, Karryl, Diane and Bob curiously watch as the little Chipmunk entertains.

Me getting to enjoy holding and petting Diane's beloved Charlie.

        We left Colorado Wednesday and headed for Salina, Kansas and the Rolling Hills Wildlife Museum and Zoo, where the Annual Society of Animal Artists exhibition was being held. Thursday was spent entirely at the zoo enjoying watching and photographing the various animals. We were treated to a tour given by a nice and very informative volunteer, Debbie. The best part was getting to pet a gorgeous little Bearded Dragon, and getting up close and personal with an amazing Hissing Cockroach.

Getting a closer look at the Hissing Cockroach.

        It was great having full run of the zoo for three wonderful days! So many photos were taken which now have been added to our future miniature paintings list! While Wes was in a meeting and I was enjoying the zoo by myself, I enjoyed the pleasurable company of a resident Canada Goose named “Alfred” that decided I would make a good companion for a while. So he stayed by me the entire time I was photographing the Swans, talking and chatting and waiting for a hand out. About thirty minutes later we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

A resident Aardvark and myself exchange tips on the best way to slurp soup.

A group of wildlife artist enjoy a lunch at the zoo.

        As always, meals filled with wonderful conversation and laughter were scattered throughout our visit. We were treated to a nice brunch one morning and a lovely and delicious dinner one evening by the staff at Rolling Hills. The opening of the show was well attended and resulted in a wonderful evening. Sunday we headed back to Colorado and returned home late Monday night. Now it’s time to get caught up and back to painting!

Enjoying a wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

Until next time ~ Rachelle