Peter Blackwell of Nairobi has been named the artist of the year for DSC this next year. Well deserved in my opinion. Peter's art is not like Banovich, which is great, but looks like a photograph.

Peter's is more like a depiction of the personality of the animal. He does big five stuff, but his best in my opinion are of the small stuff. He has a great painting of a troop of mongoose and another of guinea fowl that truly show the character of the animals.

Can't wait to see the painting that's offered, and just warning you, you'll be bidding against me.

To each his own. Blackwell looks cartoonish and sappy compared to Banovich ... Ma said not say anything if you can't say something good, so there is the good on Banovich.

Banovich paintings are not like photographs except in rivaling them for realism of the forms, details, and color, yet with an extra spark of drama, light, and composition.
That is how I "feel" about it.

Congratulations to Peter. Art is in the eye of the beholder and my favorite is Seery-Lester.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Congratulations to Peter. Art is in the eye of the beholder and my favorite is Seery-Lester.

John Seerey-Lester is a Master, and in a special league of art with all the historical work combined with hunting and wildlife art.
I have three of his coffee-table books:

Legends of the Hunt 2009 (autographed copy)
Legends of the Hunt -- Campfire Tales 2013
The Legendary Hunts of Theodore Roosevelt 2015

And I have a copy of John Banovich's one coffee-table book:

Beast 2009, a big book that quickly sold out at Barnes and Noble for $69.95, and was selling on Amazon a few years ago for prices up to $3,900.00.

Seerey-Lester has been at it longer than Blackwell or Banovich.

David Wright should be considered a member of the Special League with historical art but concentrating on Americana, flintlock-era hunting and pioneering, Native Americans, and some drama.
I met him at the 2016 Contemporary Longrifle Association meeting and asked him why he has not had a coffee-table art book (or three) published yet ... we'll see.

Blasts from the Past: I have four of Robert Bateman's coffee-table art books. He is as PETA friendly as Banovich and Blackwell ...
Ron Parker.
Bob Kuhn.
Guy Coheleach.
Carl Rungius ... A German born in 1869, came to America in 1894 to become Carl Rungius Painter of the Western Wilderness (title of his posthumous coffee-table art book/biography, 1985).
Rungius was a contemporary of Teddy Roosevelt and Frederick Remington. I am sure Seerey-Lester has taken some lessons from Rungius.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Artists:
Carl Rungius
John Seerey-Lester
David Wright
and of course, Wilhelm Kuhnert, founding member:


Friedrich Wilhelm Kuhnert (September 18, 1865 – February 11, 1926) was a German painter, author and illustrator, who specialized in animal images.

http://www.delahuntyfineart.co...sts/wilhelm-kuhnert/

A detail from the larger painting, "Grant's Gazelle Looking This Way" (Wilhelm Kuhnert):



"Lion" (Wilhelm Kuhnert):



Maybe the above lion was a study in preparation for "The Man Eater" (Wilhelm Kuhnert):



"Hyena" (1905, Wilhelm Kuhnert)



"Migrating Elephants" (Wilhelm Kuhnert):

Thanks RIP. Kuhnert was the master painter of African wildlife.

Many can render a decent bit of game, however, when placed in the landscape, things fall apart. This is where Kuhnert really excels, many of his paintings would be brilliant without the Lion, Buff etc

quote:

Originally posted by baldry:
Many can render a decent bit of game, however, when placed in the landscape, things fall apart. This is where Kuhnert really excels, many of his paintings would be brilliant without the Lion, Buff etc

Are we related?

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by baldry:
Many can render a decent bit of game, however, when placed in the landscape, things fall apart. This is where Kuhnert really excels, many of his paintings would be brilliant without the Lion, Buff etc

Are we related?

Don't think so matey, my old man is a famous Zambian PH.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Peter Blackwell of Nairobi has been named the artist of the year for DSC this next year. Well deserved in my opinion. Peter's art is not like Banovich, which is great, but looks like a photograph.

Peter's is more like a depiction of the personality of the animal. He does big five stuff, but his best in my opinion are of the small stuff. He has a great painting of a troop of mongoose and another of guinea fowl that truly show the character of the animals.

Can't wait to see the painting that's offered, and just warning you, you'll be bidding against me.

I agree and I like to see paint and brush stokes on canvas.

However Banovich is a very fine artist.