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Sundee L. Ziegler
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Biography
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I am a self taught artist working in the mediums of oil on canvas, colored pencil and/or pastels, and acrylic on stone. I have never had any formal art training. I have lived all over the USA and spent several years in Europe. I work mostly on commission and do pet and people portraits, landscapes, and wildlife.
I have just returned this last year from living in Germany and I now live in Reno, Nevada where I share my home with my elderly parents and act as caretaker. I also share my home with four furkids. two senior citizen yorkshires adopted in Germany and two feline friends. I am handicapped myself, but I do not let it slow down me or my creativity.
Besides working with my art which is my sole income, I also enjoy music, reading, cooking and do cross stitch designing for sale. I am in the process of rebuilding my two websites and creating a new one.
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Statement
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All my life, I have always loved animals and Mother Nature. I have had my favorite animals over the years as I was growing up, having what my Mother called "phases", like my turtle phase, my cow phase, my wolf, lion and horse phases and now, my cat and yorkie phase. I will probably never outgrow my phases as I will never outgrow my love of animals and nature.
I have always had domestic dogs, cats and horses around me, but I loved to spend time in the forests, mountains, deserts and by the rivers and lakes of our great American wilderness and observe the wild animals in their natural habitats. Bears, wolves, coyotes, wild cats and foxes were my particular favorites. With much of the wild habitats disappearing and the animals doing likewise, I started feeling a panic to do something to preserve and immortalize them for furture generations. So, I began to do just that on paper, canvas, stone and even walls, so that our children and our children's children could see for themselves that many of the species that are today endangered or have already passed on into the history books, really did exist.
I paint and draw the animals and the vanishing wilderness as I see them thru my own eyes and try to put my feelings, hopes and wishes for their survival into each brush stroke. I also want the viewer to have an emotional reaction to the animal as they view it. I want them to wish for their survival, too. That is why I try to render them as realistic as possible and pay special attention to their eyes. It is in the eyes that the soul makes itself known. I also try to capture the rich texture of the fur, hair or pelt so that the viewer wants to reach out to touch it to feel if it is real or not.
Belonging to an earth-based religion, I have a deep and spiritual repect and love for our Earth Mother and all her creatures. I have such a deep emotional reaction when I hear of another animal or part of nature that is in danger of becoming extinct because of our greediness, our disrepect and lack of caring for the earth and creatures that try to survive in spite of us or those who live to sustain us. Half of all the money I have made in the past from my art has been given to various wildlife and nature preservation funds and organizations to further their work. I belong to several wildlife projects and adoption agencies who are working to prepare animals for release into the wild such as the wolf and the american bald eagle, and who try to help preserve those who are already out there and in danger of vanishing completely.
I enjoy doing pet portraits also and preserving a beloved pet for an owner in oils and other mediums. I see the love and care of these owners for their canine and feline companions or for thier horses and it thrills me to immortalize them forever on canvas or paper or stone so that they can be a part of their owner's lives always.
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Exhibitions
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Nothing scheduled at this time.
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Next Artist: Julie Dostie
