Borneo Mother and Child

Borneo Mother and Child, copyright 2018 K. Widger, 15" x 15" oil on canvas.

One of the most endangered species on the planet, orangutans native habitat in the rain forest of Borneo and Sumatra is being destroyed by international corporations to plant palm oil plantations.  The video of an adult male orangutan trying to fight off a huge bull dozer destroying his home is heartbreaking.  When their entire habitat is destroyed, they starve to death.  Please consider not purchasing products that contain palm oil.  For the sake of a cheap ingredient and the enrichment of international corporations, they face extinction. 

Original painting is available now, or find exquisite prints and other products with this image at my sight at Fine Art America.com:  https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/katy-widger.html

Orphaned

"Orphaned", 20" x 20" oil on canvas. Copyright 2018 K. Widger

Uptown Girls

"Zoe and Friends", 18" x 30" oil on canvas. Copyright 2017 K. Widger

Four little precious souls!  One of the most delightful things I get to do when I'm asked to paint someone's sweet dog or cat is to meet these little sweeties when I photograph them.  We took about 200 photos of these girls and ended up with a dozen or so that served as reference for this painting.
It is done in shades of gray, with color only on their soulful eyes and pink collars.
From Left to Right:  Shyla, Isabella, Zoe and Layla

Reina in Red

"Reina in Red" copyright 2017 K. Widger, 12" x 12" oil on canvas

This is a commission piece  given by one good friend to another for their birthday.  The recipient's home is decorated in contemporary decor, so we decided to go with this, more graphic rendering of this beloved Schnauzer, Reina. It was tons of fun to paint!

Khan and the Tiger

Khan & the Tiger, 20" x 20", oil on canvas, copyright 2017 K.Widger

Ever since I saw "Life of Pi", several times, featuring the Bengal tiger called 

 Richard Parker, I have wanted to paint a Bengal.  It's not as easy as you 

might think to come up with a photo of a particular type of animal that

 is good enough to use as a reference, that "says" what you want it to say,

 especially if there are no Bengal tigers in your immediate area, or within 

many hundreds of miles, for that matter.  I am thankful to Artist Reference 

Photos for the use of this one, taken by a generous photographer of a 

Bengal tiger in a refuge.  (I added the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, 

as a sort of "counterpoint" to the strength and power of the tiger, 

and artists always take certain liberties with photographs, by necessity).  

All the Big Cats are critically endangered now.  Their habitats are shrinking

 daily, their meat and body parts in ever increasing demand for folk 

medicine. I hope to draw attention to their strength, their majesty, and 

their right to exist safe from poachers and those who would profit 

from their extinction.  The next time you see a Big Cat in a zoo or

 sanctuary or preserve, consider that it might be the last Big Cat you will 

ever see alive.  

All of my paintings are available for purchase.  If you see one you are

 interested in, please contact me.  Gallery inquires welcome.  And you can

 purchase prints and other merchandise of most of my animal paintings 

at Fine Art America.com:  https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/katy-widger.html

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Thanks for looking!

Baby Buffalo

BABY BUFFALO copyright 2017 K. Widger 24" x 18" oil on canvas

Way to go, Baby Buffalo!  I've never been to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, but that's a place I'd love to be, and where this young man lives.  My thanks to the excellent photographer who supplied this reference photo, Gary Peters.

I enjoyed playing with the orange to purple complimentary contrast, with the green completing the triadic compliment.  If you're interested in purchasing, please contact me here, or through FB at Katy Widger Fine Art.  You can also purchase prints of any size, or many other unique products and gifts with this image, and many others of my Animal and Wildlife Art through https://pixels.com/profiles/katy-widger.html

The Boys

"The Boys", 18" x 24" Oil on Canvas, copyright 2017 Katy Widger

Biscuit was a sickly little runt of a pup, only 6 weeks old when he was dumped.  Shannon and Tom rescued him and gave him the very best life any blind dog could have ever hoped for!  He's a "talker" who loves to visit on the phone with his grandmom,  and anyone else who'll listen.  Face rubs, butt scratches and tending to his vast collection of beloved stuffed animal "babies" make up the rest of Biscuit's happy days with his family.

His best friend for life, Boomer, is a "typical" German Shepherd Dog in that he never stops "working".  He has to know what is going on, inside and out, every minute of the day, just in case his services are needed.  That green tennis ball is his other favorite thing in his life.  He fetched and fetched, relentlessly, until his teeth were worn to nubs and his mom and dad were exhausted.  

The Boys have never spent more than a few hours apart in their entire lives, and we all pray that it remains so.  Warm, happy days on the beach, good dogs and a loving family makes up the best that life has to offer.  God bless them all!

Snow Cat

"Snow Cat" 14" x 21"oil on canvas. Copy right K. Widger 2016

He's an Amur Tiger, cousin to the Siberians, and he lives way up North in the coldest latitudes.  Even more endangered than the Siberian, his numbers dwindle as he is poached for his bones, organs and beautiful pelt.  Still, he holds on to his rightful place on this Earth as best he can, unaware that these next few decades may see the end to his race of beings due to the greed and ignorance of man, far more so than loss of habitat.  He's got plenty of room to live his life, but he's no match for the horrible devices man devises to track and kill him.  When will we ever learn....when will we ever learn?

Predator Dreams

Predator Dreams 14" x11" oil on board Katy Widger 2016

Just finished this one, so the picture is "shiny" from the wet paint reflections.
The ABQ Bio Park has two cougars, and WildLife West, here in Edgewood, has two young sisters.  Their mother was trapped and killed and the young sisters captured and brought to WLW to live out their lives. Observing cougars in captivity bears no resemblance to getting a glimpse of them in the wild, but it's the best option I have. They are top tier predators, and take mostly elk and deer in northern New Mexico, and big horn sheep in southern NM.  They are very rarely observed and rarely take domestic livestock because their native prey is plentiful.

Nevertheless...

 New Mexico is one of very few states that allows, even encourages, the trapping of animals for sport.  It is shameful and horrific.  Cougars, foxes and bobcat are the specific targets, and coyotes have long been hunted, trapped, poisoned and shot in coyote-killing contests in this backward state.  I have hope that the congress of the US will outlaw trapping very soon.  NM sure isn't going to.

Little Gems

Jaguar 5" x 5" oil on board

Female Cougar 5" x 5" oil on board

ABQ Swan 5" x 5" oil on board

Inverness Cow Lick 5" x 5" Oil on board

Placitas Old Grey Mare 5" x 5" Oil on board

Gordon's Raven 5" x 5" oil on board

Little mini paintings I completed recently, in hopes of entering them into the Masterworks Miniature show coming up early next year.  Each is 5" x 5" oil on board.  Available now, in December only. for $85 each, unframed.

Wild African Lion

Wild African Lion, 12" x 12" oil on canvas, copyright K. Widger 2016

In some parts of Africa, Wild Lions are extremely endangered.  National Parks and Refuges attempt to save some, but poachers take their toll.  In other parts of Africa, lions are being raised in captivity and the cubs are subjected to a cruel hoax wherein they are sedated and tourists, unaware of their fate or the conditions of their captivity, are allowed to pet and "cuddle" with them, and take photos to post on FB and other social media accounts, of course.  When the lions become to big to safely handle, they are sold to "game farms" where they are the prey in a "canned" hunt. Some are so tame and accustomed to human interaction, by then, that the "hunters", who pay a large fee for the opportunity to "hunt" the big cats,  simply walk up to them and shoot them with pistols.  They deserve better.

The reference photo from which I painted this Magnificent Beast was shot by Emmanuel Keller, a "hunter of wild game" who shoots with his camera.  Thanks to him and Wildlife Reference Photos.

Lioness

I've been painting endangered species lately.  Focusing on Big Cats so far this year.  I was inspired several years ago when Life of Pi came out.  And then Cecil the beloved lion was killed by that dentist in a "canned" hunt, where a "hunter" pays a fee and is guaranteed a kill.  They baited Cecil to leave his sanctuary and he was shot at night using bright lights with a compound bow, only to suffer for another 24 hours before he was finally tracked and killed with a pistol.  Made me extremely angry and sick.  For the most part, I have no issues with "real" hunters, those that obey the rules of fair chase and kill for need.  I do have a big problem, personally, with those who kill for pleasure and sport.   That pretty much defines most "big game hunters" who like to think of themselves as game conservationists because they pay big fees to kill what amounts to captive game.  Lions are being bred in captivity for the sole purpose of becoming prey for big game hunters, let loose into a hunting park where they are easily tracked and killed, with some so tame they can be approached and shot with a pistol at close range.  Wild African lions are extremely endangered because their habitat is shrinking, and they have been hunted mercilessly over the past decades.  Thanks to Emmanuel Keller of Wildlife Reference Photos for the reference I used in this painting.

Lioness, 12" x 12" oil on canvas, copyright K. Widger 2016

Underpainting in saturated colors

Value Study

Birds of Prey Attack Small Pets

East Mountain Pet Alert produced this video to warn owners of small pets about the dangers from Great Horned Owls, Red Tail Hawks and other raptors.  Please watch, share, imbed in your own blogs and websites, share on FaceBook!  

Encantada! 2016 Rio Grande Artist Association Annual Juried Show

Azeo (Snow Leopard), 18" x 24" oil on canvas, copyright Katy Widger

Evening Flight, 18" x 36" oil on canvas, copyright Katy Widger

The Egg Thief, 30" x 26" oil on canvas copyright Katy Widger

These three paintings of mine were all juried into the show. An honor to have all three accepted!  The opening reception will be on Wednesday, July 6 from 5-8PM.  Awards at 6:30.  I'll be there!  Hope you can come!  The show runs through July 27, open Wed-Sun 10:30AM to 5:30PM at the Fine Arts Bldg at Expo New Mexico (State Fair Grounds). 

Painting a Leopard

African Leopard, Kruger National Park, Oil on canvas 14" x 21" c Katy Widger May 2016

This is a wild leopard from Kruger National Park in S. Africa.  While not labeled as endangered right now, many species of leopards are critically endangered.  Since he's a wild fellow, not a resident of a zoo, he has no "name" to identify him as an individual.  But, in God's eyes, he is an individual, and he does have a name.  I am so glad that there is a National Park in S. Africa where he can roam free and live his life as a wild leopard, apart from confinement and the imminent threat of extinction, or bullets, traps, poisons and snares, an unnatural death at the hands of man.  

Credit to Marna Buys for reference photo on Photos for Artists.

Pet Portrait Contest! Please Vote!

"Joy Ride" 16" x 24" oil on canvas C Katy Widger

"Wyatt's in the jump seat, Zeke likes to drive on our way to the Dog and Soccer Park in Edgewood, every day possible!"

Dick Blick Art Supplies is hosting an online Pet Portrait Contest. Winner gets $300 worth of art supplies and some good national publicity.  I'd sure love to win this, mostly for the publicity, but the art supplies are very nice, too.

You can vote for this painting using this direct link http://bit.ly/1s1gUAu starting today, May 23 through May 30. You can vote every 24 hours until then!  Please vote!  It just takes a second to click on the link, and then click on the "vote" tab.  No need to leave name or email; you can vote anonymously!

You can also see a darling TV interview featuring Wyatt (and me) on the Morning Brew with Larry Ahren's here on YouTube:  The Morning Brew with Larry Ahrens featuring Katy Widger and Wyatt   Wyatt was a real character, as usual, and everyone in the studio wanted to meet him afterwards!  If only dogs could talk!  

MasterWorks of New Mexico 2016

My previous piece, "Blood Moon Offering" was juried into this prestigious show featuring the best that New Mexico artists have to offer!  This is the fifth time I have entered Masterworks, and the third time I have been juried in.  It is notoriously hard to get into! It's quite a honor and I greatly appreciate the opportunity and the recognition.

Blood Moon and Egg Thief

Blood Moon Offering 26" x 30" Oil on Canvas

I've been planning these two paintings for some time now, working out the design, size and background.  The raven in Blood Moon Offering is from a great photo by Gordon Vanus, taken in bright daylight with blue skies ( I added the sunflower and Ken took the moon shot).

I was still unsure as to what the background on Blood Moon Offering was going to be, but I had already painted the raven and the sunflower onto the canvas in gray tones when the Lunar Eclipse happened the evening of Sept 27th.  I watched the moon transform herself as Ken took picture after picture on the tripod, and soaked up the deep mystery of the night sky. The next morning, I knew exactly what to paint.  Had to change the colors of the raven from bright daylight to deep, dark night.  Used a very limited palette of alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue in the night sky, with a touch of ochre brushed into the distant mountains, far below.  The moon has red and yellow cadmiums along with the purple from the sky.  No tube black in the raven, just deep purples.  This piece just got juried into Masterworks of New Mexico which will exhibit starting April 1 in Albuquerque, NM at Expo New Mexico.

"The Egg Thief" 30" x 26" oil on canvas copyright Katy Widger 2016

The Egg Thief is a  soft morning sky in summer with ultra and cerulean blues, quinacridone magenta and cad yellows.  No tube black in this raven, either.  This raven pic shot by my husband, who set up a "blind" and waited patiently for hours on several days, "baiting" our resident raven with eggs in order to get the shot. Actually, he took a whole video of this raven, landing on a post, picking up the egg, dropping it then catching it in his beak and taking off, all without breaking it! Quite amazing to watch!  How strong, yet how precise and controlled their beaks are!   He knows my husband and comes to get his egg on a regular basis, now, less wary but still unwilling to have his picture taken, like most ravens. You have to pay your models!

Western Bluebird on a Metal Post

Western Bluebird on a Metal Post  oil on canvas on board 14" x 11" copyright K. Widger

Late spring in Edgewood, a male Western Bluebird sits on a metal post not far from the nest box, watching over his growing family of nestlings.  He faithfully catches insects and deposits them in the waiting beaks of his little children, and takes turns with his mate as she takes time out of the nest box to feed herself.  He is so faithful and dedicated to his family and an inspiration to fathers everywhere!

Evening Flight

"Evening Flight" 18" x 36" Oil on Canvas copyright 2015 K. Widger

Finished!  Signed and photographed, framed and ready for entry into next juried show! Will also be showing this at The Watermelon Gallery in Cedar Crest, NM.  Really enjoyed painting this one.  It was a challenge, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, especially the cranes.  Strived to get the anatomy correct and their flying formation accurate, as the cranes lift off from their watery refuge at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in Socorro, NM.