Wes & Rachelle Siegrist

"Tiny Treasures of the Natural World"

Monthly Newsletters

MINIATURE PAINTINGS: African Birds Birds of Prey Butterflies Florals Gamebirds Landscapes Mammals Portraits Reptiles Songbirds Larger\|Older Reproductions HIGHLIGHTS: Biography Exhibits Statements Resumes Galleries Publications Newsletters History Awards Framing Sitemap CONTACT: Order Testimonials siegrist@artofwildlife.com	One of our picnic spots while in Yellowstone was on the shores of pristine Jenny Lake. Rachelle, Karryl and Diana didn't want to leave. Obviously Wes was outnumbered by the ladies but found with regular bathroom breaks and hourly chocolate "fixes" the women were quite delightful.
	News Highlights: * New shows and Venues: Guess it should just be taken for granted that our exhibit schedule is constantly being updated with new exhibits and those we're planning to participate in with our work. Please note that we denote shows that have not yet been confirmed with an asterix (). Rachelle's work in the Birds in Art Exhibition was acquired by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin as part of their Permanent Collection. The Museum holdings also include Rachelle's miniature watercolor painting "Unwanted Dinner Guest" and well as her pencil drawing "My Spikey".
	Rachelle with our Art Mom, Janet Heaton, posing atop Burt Brent's hippo sculpture in the Woodson Art Museum's sculpture garden. Janet was responsible for helping us get started into the national arena of wildlife art with our work. We so miss the monthly visits in her studio with fellow artists Richard Sloan and Ron Parvu and of course the delicious Thai food we all shared at Thaicoon!	Rachelle with fellow artists Sean Murtha and Ewoud de Groot, a.k.a. Woody (in the center). The grand finale of the Birds in Art weekend is the Saturday afternoon the Museum buses all the artists and guests up to Lake Catherine in Hazelhurst, WI where we all enjoy the day eating, drinking, playing games, hiking, boat rides and above all laughing! Rachelle and Lyn St. Clair were the champions of the Bachi Ball game.
	Interesting Updates: * Wes is still working on his miniature history project and is updating it with new information on a regular basis. If anyone knows any details to add please contact us! - View the page here. * On the easels: Wes is currently working on a baby elephant painting and Rachelle is nearing completion on a portrait for the MASF Exhibition.
	We especially cherish the times we get to sit around and talk with our friends. Seated at the table from L to R: Sue Westin, Andrea Rich, Don Rich, Nancy Howe, Terry Miller (standing), Randy Dutra, Sueellen Ross, Alice Eberhard and Rachelle. We're all looking at some of Sueellen's calendars featuring her artwork of dogs and cats.
	Rachelle joins Karryl, Diana, Mark and Alice Eberhard for a yummy meal on the veranda of the National Museum of Wildlife Art during the Western Visions Miniature Show weekend. We were both amazed at the crowds. It was another time we were glad to both be tall as it made finding each other in the sea of heads much easier.	Wes and Karryl show off their yummy lunch at the Merry Piglets Mexican restaurant in Jackson, WY.
	Our Recent Memory Makers: •Top highlights are obviously the nine day trip to Wisconsin for Birds in Art, a few days in Yellowstone in Wyoming and then finally the Western Visons Miniatures and More Show in Jackson, WY. We only wish we could have included more photos of all the great times we had with our peers. •Wes's parents spent a week with us and we all enjoyed the Old Timer's Day celebration. Our small town hosts one of the largest Bluegrass Music Festivals in the nation twice each year and we always help out volunteering in the Coke Booth for the Chamber of Commerce and with the Library fundraising booth selling hamburgers. If the art ever fails we're more than experienced in the "fast food industry"! This year with perfect weather the event had record breaking crowds estimated at near 15,000! Considering Townsend has a population in the city limits of @300 to say it was crowded is an understatement! •The terrible drought continues in the Smokies and the entire county is now under a water restriction and ban. The area and the National Park are considered a temperate rainforest due to the amount of rainfall we normally receive so this dry spell is having a profound effect upon all levels of the ecosystem. A benefit to us is the crowds of birds flocking to our feeders and birdbaths.
	Wes relaxing in Yellowstone beside a pond filled with a variety of birds. Watching a Forester's Tern diving for a meal was an extra treat.	Rachelle and Karryl pose beside one of the many mud pots in Yellowstone which are Rachelle's favorite things to watch.
	Critter Encounters: * Yard Bird List: 93. * As noted above the bird activity in the yard seems like an airport. They land within feet of us and fly right over our heads as we sit and eat our meals on the top porch. We added the following critters and birds to our list of encounters while out in Yellowstone: Harlequin ducks, California Gull, Grizzly Bear, Bighorn Sheep and we spotted Otter for the first time out west. Our highlight was hands down the time we spent watching the American Dippers, Harlequin ducks and Common Mergansers fish the Keppler Cascades.
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