Wes & Rachelle Siegrist

"Tiny Treasures of the Natural World"

Monthly Newsletters

Part of the gang poses during a truck ride through Cades Cove. We've been going in for weekly picnic suppers.	Rachelle and our neighbor, Amy, eagerly await that blessed time of the meal when the chocolate is served.
News: * The website has a whole new look! Pages have been reworked and combined to make navigation easier. * We're still adding shows and exhibits to the schedule. Depending upon sales and available inventory these may change so keep checking back with us.
Our basement painting workshop party. Fellow artists, Catherine Girard, Tricia Wilhoit and Fred Weiser, joined us for a weeklong painting session. It was fun spending all the time together painting. The picnic lunches on our screen porch also became treasured memories.
Rachelle and Spikey pose during the Workshop.	A BBQ picnic on our porch with friends and neighbors during our Workshop Week.
Interesting Updates: * The weather is finally getting cool enough for nightly walks and bike rides! * On the easels: Rachelle is currently painting her MASF entries. Wes is working on a slightly larger miniature of a Wyoming ground squirrel. Since we have more available painting time, at present, our inventory is building quickly. To make space on the website we're removing most of the sold paintings and not posting all the sold commissions.
Eating watermelon again in Cades Cove with friends.
Our Adventures: * We've been getting into the Park on a weekly basis with friends for picnics and rides around Cades Cove. We hiked the Elijah Oliver Trail and have done some short hikes on a friend's property. Look for some upcoming paintings of Bucks and Coyotes. The whole gang was treated to being able to watch a four foot black snake attempt to catch a small field mouse during one of our watermelon breaks. * We had a great time again at Dollywood with a bunch of friends on the water rides and roller coasters. * The 3rd week of August was set aside painting in our basement with three other local artists. (see images) * Rachelle's grandmother fell and broke her hip and Wes's parents recently sold their home and bought another one so it looks like all our visits from family this Fall have been cancelled. Our first trip out of east Tennessee will be to the Southern Wildlife Festival in Decatur in October.
Rachelle and Tricia painting on the screen porch. Spike had one of the best weeks of his life with all the outside parties and activities with the gang.	We take painting breaks at least every 30 minutes to rest our eyes. We spend these few minutes looking out the various windows in the house or on our back porch. It's great to have so much wildlife activity right here in the yard. This Screech Owl decided our yard was the best place to ride out the strong winds from Katrina.
Critter Encounters: * Yard Bird List: 88 species. We added a Brewer's Blackbird and an Eastern Screech Owl (rufous phase). The adorable owl was a gift from the tropical storm Katrina. The bird stayed in our side yard from lunchtime until dark! The skunks, raccoons, rabbits and chipmunks provide constant entertainment thoughout the day and night.
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