Wes & Rachelle Siegrist

"Tiny Treasures of the Natural World"

Monthly Newsletters

PAINTINGS: African Birds Birds of Prey Butterflies Florals Gamebirds Landscapes Mammals Portraits Reptiles Songbirds Reproductions HIGHLIGHTS: Biography Exhibits Statements Resumes Galleries Publications Newsletters Information about Miniatures Awards and Honors Framed Samples Sitemap: Many Surprises! CONTACT: Order Testimonials from Collectors Email us! - siegrist@artofwildlife.com

	Rachelle talking with Dr. Ralph Stanley, the legendary bluegrass muscian. Those who know her may have heard Rachelle's version of his "Oh Death" song that she loves to sing!	Wes and his mom, Jean, enjoy the view and sound of Laurel Creek in the Smokies near our home.
	News: * We've received several awards lately at shows. (See the awards page for highlights) * We had a great time at the opening festivities to Birds in Art and we're really looking forward to being in Vermont this month for the opening ceremonies of the Society of Animal Artists Exhibition. * Shows are still being added into our schedule and this month will mark the start of our "in person" show season starting with the Southern Wildlife Festival in Decatur, AL.
	Rachelle with a turkey vulture at REGI (The Raptor Education Group, Inc.) during a birds of prey photo shoot with our fellow artists in Wisconsin. www.raptoreducationgroup.org	Wes, naturalist John Bates, and fellow artist Patricia Pepin explore a northern Wisconsin peat bog. You can actually walk on the spongy mat but once you stop you start sinking as Wes demonstrates. Patricia is in the background searching for more of the wild cranberries to eat which were quite yummy despite being still a tad green.
	Interesting Updates: * On the easels: Rachelle is putting the final touches on an elephant for an upcoming show and Wes is currently working on another commission of a boat. Both of us are still doing traditional miniatures this month for our miniature shows and trying to build up our inventory with new paintings for next month's Waterfowl Festival and Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival.
	Wes and fellow artist friend, Cindy House, talking with the public during the opening of Birds in Art (photo courtesy of the Museum).	Rachelle and fellow artists Andrew Denman and Julie Chapman enjoy a "behind-the-scenes" tour of the Permanent Collection at the Woodson Art Museum. Curator, Jane Weinke, took us into the Museum's basement storage area where the sculptures are housed as well as some of the sketches and rare books. Typically only a fraction of a museum's collection is on display at any given time.
	Our Adventures: * Painting and more painting....we've been spending more time than usual in the studio lately attempting to keep up with the shows and sales. This past week we've escaped to play tourist with Wes's family. * Recent memory makers: A fantastic weekend of fun and fellowship with our peers in Wausau, Wisconsin for Birds in Art, nightly bike rides, a fish fry with our neighborhood, Canasta card games with the neighbor gang. We also took in the Dixie Stampede dinner show and Dollywood with friends and we're currently enjoying the Old Timer's Bluegrass music festival here in Townsend where we volunteer for various groups.
	Volunteering inside the Coke booth during the Heritage Festival in Townsend.	Wes with Barry VanWinkle and Joe Gorman cooking hamburgers to benefit our local library.
	Critter Encounters: * Yard Bird List: 92 species with us adding Solitary Vireos. Amazingly the beautiful birds lit in our wisteria vine on the top porch as we were eating lunch one day. One bird came as close as a mere foot from Wes! * As you can see from the photo our raccoons are still visiting the feeders. We watched these two babies early one cool morning and laughed as they both tried to squeeze inside the jar. We were delighted to spot a Snowshoe Hare in Wisconsin during our hike with the other artists up in Hazelhurst.
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