Take a walk on the wild side at 14th Annual Wildlife Art Show

May in Fallbrook means a fabulous opportunity to view some of the best wildlife art in the nation when the 14th Annual Reflections of Nature Wildlife Art Show is held May 6 and 7 at the Art Center, 103 South Main at Alvarado. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, the show will feature 27 of America’s most outstanding wildlife, landscape and animal artists, nine of whom are being featured for the first time.

This year, the show will move its focus from African wildlife to North America, with a particular interest in animals we admire regularly in the Western United States. The show will also provide a learning experience, as live art demonstrations will be taking place throughout the event!

The Reflections of Nature show was originated in 1994 as a fundraiser for the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, a nonprofit agency whose mission is to acquire and maintain open space throughout the community. In its infancy, the show was held at the picturesque Palomares House (on Stage Coach Lane), a site used for community events and home to a collaborative Wildlife Sculpture Park.

In 1996, the show moved to the Art Center at Fallbrook, a venue operated by another nonprofit, the Fallbrook Village Association. Over the years, the show has continued to gain momentum and drawn increasing praise.

Because of its phenomenal growth, the show will be offered at more than one venue. The first will be in the Art Center’s 3,500-square-foot Janice Griffiths Gallery, which will house the two-dimensional artists working in a variety of mediums that include oil, pastel, pen and ink, scratchboard, acrylic, water media, collage and more. Across the street in the Village Square, sculptors will present their works – including many monumental scale pieces. Ceramic works and art jewelry are new additions to this year’s show.

Inspired by environ of the Friendly Village, many artists take side trips early in the morning, before the show opens, and create “plein air” works to sell. This year that tradition will continue, but participating artists have been welcomed to bring plein air works they’ve created at various locales throughout the year.

Because artistic talent is found burgeoning in students throughout our region, don’t miss an opportunity to view the Junior Wildlife Art Show, which will be housed at the Art Campus of Fallbrook, located only two blocks away from the Art Center at 310 East Alvarado Street. This year the Junior Wildlife Show carries the title “The Art of Life on the Wild Side: A tribute to Steve Irwin, the world’s original wildlife warrior.”

Admission/donation to the 14th Annual Wildlife Art Show is $5 for a weekend pass. For more information, call (760) 728-1414 or (800) 919-1159.

2007 Featured Artists

Timothy David Mayhew,

Farmington, NM

Les Perhacs, Fallbrook

2007 Participating Artists

Colleen Bickman, Monte Soreno, CA

Chapel, San Leandro, CA

Adele Earnshaw, Sedona AZ

Melanie Fain, Boerne, TX

Lindsey Foggett, Forest Falls, CA

Susan Fox, McKinleyville, CA

Joe Garcia, Julian, CA

Carol Heiman-Greene, Orange, CA

Lee Kromschroeder, Escondido, CA

Susan Labouri, Big Bear Lake, CA

Denis Milhomme, Three Rivers, CA

Gregg Murray, Auburn, WY

Wendell Perry, Escondido, CA

Anne Peyton, Phoenix, AZ

Don Rambadt, Trevor, WI

Karen Siek, Fresno, CA

Jerry Simchuk, Kalispell, MT

Debbie Edgers Sturges, Hailey, ID

Truong Buu Giam, Westminster, CA

Dustin Van Wechel, Glenvil, NE

V. Vaughan, Manor, TX

Victoria Wilson-Schultz, Elk River, MN

David A. Wirth, Temecula, CA

Terry J. Woodall, North Bend, OR

Simone Wright, Glendale, CA