The Philadelphia Museum of Art. November 4, 2010
They say that when it rains, it pours….but then, rain has always been a welcome event up here in the high desert of the Colorado Plateau in Northern New Mexico. It seems like barely a week ago that I sent out a newsletter about the acquisition of one of my drawings by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, but now I am very pleased to announce that I have just received official notification from the Philadelphia Museum of Art that they have acquired two of my drawings for their permanent collection. The first drawing is, Study of a Grizzly Bear's Stride [24 karat goldpoint, electrum goldpoint, and silverpoint with Italian white marble heightening on French orange ocher prepared wove paper, 10.5 x 13.5 inches].This drawing was based on the complex metalpoint technique used in 1435 by Jan van Eyck to create his Dresden drawing of Cardinal Albergati. To create this drawing of the grizzly bear, I had to cast metalpoint styli that were based on the exact metals and alloys of the different metalpoint styli used by van Eyck in his Dresden drawing. By using these multiple styli, cast from a variety of metals and alloys, van Eyck was able to expand his range of light and dark tonal values, as well as warm and cool variations, which better enabled him to create the illusion of three-dimensional space. The other drawing is, Frontal Study of a Dall Ram, [Natural black chalk with stumping over an erased vine charcoal underdrawing on handmade blue laid paper, 13.25 x 10.5 inches]. This drawing is significant from several aspects, including the fact that it was drawn in the unforgiving medium of natural black chalk over an underdrawing in vine charcoal that was erased with a feather. This was a traditional old master natural black chalk drawing technique that was described by John Barrow in 1735, and confirmed by the German art historian, Joseph Meder. This drawing is from a series of preparatory drawings of Dall bighorn sheep from Denali National Park in central Alaska, that I did as studies for a series of oil paintings. The Philadelphia Museum of Art stands as one of the great art institutions of the world. In the over 125 years since its founding, it has grown to house over 225,000 works of art encompassing some of the greatest achievements of human creativity, and offers a wealth of exhibitions and educational programs for a public of all ages. The Museum’s collections includes more than 150,000 works of art on paper dating from the fifteenth century to the present. Highlights of the drawings collection include many sheets by European old masters, especially Italian drawings, as well as the drawings of Thomas Eakins and Auguste Rodin. I consider this to truly be a great honor to have my artwork in such a prestigious collection. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The National Museum of Wildlife Art. October 29, 2010 Greetings, I have just received word from the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that they have acquired one of the drawings from my recent Trumpeter swan series for their permanent collection. The drawing is, Left Side Study of a Trumpeter Swan Drying its Wings, [Natural red chalk and natural white chalk on handmade buff-colored laid paper, 10 x 13 inches]. Both the natural red chalk and the natural white chalk that were used to create this drawing are traditional old master drawing materials that I have spent the past two decades researching in order to be able to locate geological deposits of them and to rediscover the traditional tools and techniques that enabled them to be used as drawing materials several hundred years ago by the old masters. For me there is a great significance in this acquisition by such a prestigious and internationally-renowned Museum. However, there is a deeper significance because it was in September 2009 during the Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, that I had my first backcountry encounter with the magnificent Trumpeter swan, an encounter which inspired the concept for my 2010 intensive study, The Year of the Trumpeter Swan. The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was founded to enrich international appreciation and knowledge of fine art. The museum has an internationally acclaimed collection of over 5,000 catalogued items and they strive to inspire public appreciation of fine art, wildlife, and humanity's relationship with nature with their collections, exhibitions, research, educational programs and publications. The museum’s stunning building overlooks the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is en route to the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There is a seamless connection between the museum, its mission, wildlife subject matter and wilderness location. The Greater Yellowstone Region is one of the few remaining areas of the United States where native wildlife still roam abundantly and free. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Materials Research Society Proceedings publication. October 6, 2010 Greetings, I am very pleased to announce that my second manuscript, The nature and evolution of traditional old master metalpoint grounds from the 4th to the 16th century, co-authored with my colleagues Margo Ellis and Supapan Seraphin from the University of Arizona where the electron microscopic images and analyses were performed, has been accepted for publication in the Materials Research Society Proceedings. In addition, I have been invited to give an oral presentation of this research at the fall annual meeting of the Materials Research Society in Boston on November 29th, 2010. The traditional materials and techniques of old master metalpoint drawing reached their zenith of use as an independent drawing medium from the 14th to the 16th century and were widely used by such greats as da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and many other old masters. However as simpler, less labor-intensive, and more forgiving drawing materials, such as graphite, were discovered, the use of metalpoint declined. In the year 1882, the great art historian, Sir Philip Gilbert Hamerton, described the current status of metalpoint by stating that, “The disuse of the silver-point, after lead-pencils came into fashion, is one of the most curious details of technical history. It is wonderful that an instrument which had once been the servant of the most illustrious artists who ever drew on paper should have come to be neglected and despised by their successors, and neglected so completely that they lost the tradition of its use.” This manuscript stems from my past 20-plus years of research into the traditional drawing materials and techniques of the old masters, and it includes many field emission electron scanning microscopic images and analyses of the materials traditionally used in this old master drawing medium from its early origins to its peak centuries of use. The manuscript pairs primary sources in the historical record with modern scientific imaging and analyses to understand the nature, physical characteristics, and function of the materials that were used traditionally in order to understand how this complex drawing medium works on a sub-microscopic level. The Materials Research Society was founded in 1973with an eye toward advancing the cause of interdisciplinary research. The Society's core principles were interdisciplinarity, focused symposia, and greater interaction among researchers.It hasover 15,000 members--from the United States and over 80 other countries. The Society sponsors two major international annual Meetings encompassing approximately 75 topical symposia, offering symposium tutorials and networking opportunities, and also sponsors numerous single-topic scientific meetings. The Society recognizes professional and technical excellence and encourages technical interaction among college students through University Chapters, and among materials professionals through regional Sections. MRS also promotes communication exchange through publication of symposium proceedings, the MRS Bulletin, the Journal of Materials Research, and other publications, databases, and videotapes related to current research activities. If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Birds in Art touring exhibition. September 22, 2010 Greetings, I am very pleased to announce that my Trumpeter swan painting, The Big Chill, has selected to be included in the upcoming Birds in Art touring exhibition, which is scheduled for 2011. The Woodson Art Museum staff selects 60 works of art from the entire 118 artworks that comprised the Museum’s prestigious 35th Anniversary Birds in Art 2010 exhibition to be part of the national Birds in Art touring exhibition. Being selected for this tour is a very great honor, and it provides a national forum and wider audience for the selected works of art and the artists who created them. The 2011 Birds in Art tour will be exhibited at the following Museums:
The 35th Anniversary Birds in Art exhibition is on display at the Woodson Art Museum through November 14, 2010, and it is an impressive exhibition of avian artwork created by the top artists from around the world. As the 2011 national touring exhibition of Birds in Art is a special selection of 60 of the best works of art from the full exhibition, hopefully you will have a chance to see this impressive exhibition if it tours near you. Additionally, I am also very pleased to announce that the Woodson Art Museum has acquired one of my natural red chalk Trumpeter swan drawings, which comes from my current series, The year of the Trumpeter swan, for their permanent collection. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The prestigious Robert Kuhn Award from the National Museum of Wildlife Art. September 21, 2010 Greetings, I just returned from the Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art where I was extremely honored to receive the prestigious Robert Kuhn Award for my natural red chalk drawing entitled, Study of a gray wolf wading in water. The National Museum of Wildlife Art established the Robert Kuhn Award to honor the memory of master wildlife artist and long-time friend of the Museum, Bob Kuhn. Winning this award is a very great honor of deep significance for me. On a professional level it is a great honor because it was bestowed by the internationally-renowned and prestigious National Museum of Wildlife Art in an exhibition of artwork by the best artists from around the world. However, on a personal level this award is very precious to me because Bob Kuhn was my longtime teacher and friend and it was he who instilled within me a passion for drawing animals from life. I will always treasure the many drawing sessions that we had with live animals in both studio and zoological settings, and I miss him very much. If you have any questions, comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. August 16, 2010 Greetings, once more, I am busy finalizing my arrangements to return to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for one of my favorite exhibitions, the prestigious Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. I am honored to have been included again this year in this important exhibition, which features artwork created by the country's finest artists. The dates for the exhibition this year are August 21st to September 17th, 2010. I always look forward to this exhibition because, in addition to its being a major event in the art world, it also affords me the opportunity to spend some quality time in the near-by Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks where I can commune with the wolves, moose, elk, grizzly bears, and the delightful Trumpeter swans. While to some of you this may sound like a great vacation, the reality is that I always end up putting in very long and grueling days while I am there, getting up each day before dawn in order to trek deep into the backcountry to study the charismatic megafauna in their natural environment. After a long day of studying these fascinating creatures, by late afternoon I need to hike out in time to get cleaned up in order to attend the important Western Visions exhibition events at the museum in the evenings where I look forward to meeting some incredible and knowledgeable art collectors. The next day will find me repeating the same schedule, awakening before dawn to hike into the backcountry for another day of tracking and study. Very long days, actually pretty hard work, but it keeps my juices flowing and I love it. The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was founded to enrich international appreciation and knowledge of fine art. The museum has an internationally acclaimed collection of over 5,000 catalogued items and they strive to inspire public appreciation of fine art, wildlife, and humanity's relationship with nature with their collections, exhibitions, research, educational programs and publications. The museum's stunning building overlooks the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is en route to the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There is a seamless connection between the museum, its mission, wildlife subject matter and wilderness location. The Greater Yellowstone Region is one of the few remaining areas of the United States where native wildlife still roam abundantly and free. More information about this exhibition can be found on the Museum's website at: http://www.westernvisions.org/WesternVisions/Catalog/artistDetail/index.php?wvArtistId=123 If you have any questions, or if you would like to know more about the artwork that I will have in this exhibition, I'd love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Birds in Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. August 04, 2010 Greetings, once more, It is with great pleasure that I wish to announce that I have been invited to exhibit at the internationally-renown 35th annual Birds in Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin. Since 1976, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum has organized the Birds in Art exhibition on an annual basis, to present the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. Three simple words – birds in art – took on a life of their own when they became a Woodson Art Museumexhibition title. Over the years, Birds in Art has grown into what is recognized around the world as the exhibition that sets the standard for avian art. The museum believes that the Birds in Art phenomenon has a lot to do with serendipity and even more to do with the remarkable talents of the artists who present their very best work interpreting birds and related subject matter and can be credited for the success of Birds in Art. The artists invited to exhibit in this years’ Birds in Art exhibition come not only from the United States, but also from Holland, Sweden, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, India, South Africa, Italy, and Australia. September 10-12th, 2010 will be the dates of the opening weekend for this exhibition and, as it will be the 35th annual celebration, the museum promises an enjoyable weekend of laughter, camaraderie, delicious food, and, of course, remarkable art. More information can be found on the Museum’s website at: http://www.lywam.org/birdsinart/ There is an image of my Birds in Art painting, The Big Chill, on my website. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Year of the Trumpeter Swan and the National Museum of Wildlife Art. May 22, 2010 Greetings, Alas, this is not one to read on a Smartphone with a tiny screen, but it is worth it…. For me, 2010 is ‘The Year of the Trumpeter Swan’. No, I have not created my own calendar with zoological categories to mark the various years. I did, however, task myself to undergo an intensive study of the Trumpeter swan during 2010 in order thoroughly study this fascinating water bird. The Trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest waterfowl in North America with a wing span of nearly 8 feet in length and experiencing them in the wild is a unique and memorable experience. Although they were once common in North America, by the early 20th century their numbers were approaching extinction due to the pressures of hunting and loss of habitat. Thankfully, their numbers have been increasing in recent years due to preservation and habitat restoration efforts. The inspiration for this concept came in September of 2009 while I was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the Western Visions exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. When I attend this exhibition, I look forward to spending time in the nearby wilderness areas of the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. During this particular trip, I came upon a pair of Trumpeter swan on one of my forays into the backcountry and ended up spending the better part of the day in intent study. I came away from this experience with many drawings, vivid memories and with the rapidly growing resolve to learn more about these captivating waterfowl. As an important part of the preparation for this project, I traveled to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in February of 2010 to spend time in their archives studying Trumpeter swan specimens. This was a very valuable experience as their collection contains several Trumpeter swan study skins, a mounted specimen and a fully articulated skeleton. The days that I spent at the museum studying their specimens and making detailed measured drawings were invaluable and enabled me to better understand the nature of the swans and their anatomy. When I returned to the studio, I put my drawings and measurements to good use to create a life-sized wax sculpture of the head and neck of a Trumpeter swan to use as a painting reference. Having this swan sculpture as a reference model allows me to place the sculpture in any position that I require and I am able to change the direction of the light to suit the lighting intended for each painting. I learned this method of working from studying the French Impressionist, Edgar Degas, who created many wax sculptures to use as painting references. Although his sculptures are now housed in major museums across the world, he intended them as painting references and as such he did not exhibit any of his sculptures during his lifetime with the exception of one, his Petite Danseuse De Quatorze Ans (Little Dancer of Fourteen Years). I anticipate that the culmination of this study will take place this summer as I was granted the honor to be the 2010 Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I am looking forward to the opportunity to live and work in the Greater Yellowstone Region for several weeks during which I will be able to seek out and observe for an extended time period the Trumpeter swans and their natural habitat. For me it feels like I have now come full circle, returning to the area of my first encounter with the magnificent Trumpeter swan, which inspired the concept for this effort, The Year of the Trumpeter Swan. Based on my many sketches and drawings of the swans and the plein air landscape paintings of their environment, I have been able to create several small oil paintings of individual swan in the studio to help me to work out the complex artistic issues of composition, design and color relationships. Next, based on some of the more successful small paintings, I have created a series of larger oil paintings in order to clearly work out the details. The eventual goal of all of this study, research, drawings and paintings will be to create very large oil paintings of a grouping of Trumpeter swan interacting in their natural environment, which is planned for the end of 2010 after I return from Jackson Hole. Dedicating much of 2010 to the intensive study of the Trumpeter swan in the creation of art may seem like a lot of effort, but already to me it has already been more than worth it. In March of 2010, one of my natural red chalk Trumpeter swan drawings was acquired by the State of New Mexico’s Capital Art Collection and in April of 2010, one of my natural black chalk Trumpeter swan drawings was acquired by the prestigious Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. One of the larger oil paintings, The Big Chill, has been accepted into the internationally-renowned Birds in Art 2010 exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum. I am also planning to include a few of my Trumpeter swan drawings and paintings in the solo exhibition of my artwork, which will hang in the National Museum of Wildlife Art for the month of July 2010. I describe this process in detail because many people are not aware of how much time and effort it actually takes to create great works of art. I am reminded of the artist, James McNeil Whistler, who once was asked how long it took him to create a painting. He responded that, beyond the actual time spent in painting, it required the knowledge obtained over a lifetime. If you have any questions, comments, or if you would like to know more about the artwork that I will have in my National Museum of Wildlife Art solo exhibition, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Philadelphia Museum of Art. May 02, 2010 Greetings, once more…. I have received an esteemed invitation from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to give a lecture on traditional old master metalpoint drawing materials and techniques and to exhibit my metalpoint drawings there during the week of May 31st to June 4th, 2010. My lecture will be entitled, The nature and evolution of traditional old master metalpoint grounds from the 4th to the 16th century. The lecture will cover the research that I have done over the past 20 years into the nature of traditional old master metalpoint drawings materials and techniques. I will include many field emission scanning electron microscopic images, variable-pressure scanning electron microscopic images, x-ray diffraction analyses and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopic analyses that were done in conjunction with the University of Arizona on the materials traditionally-used as metalpoint grounds and styli. These analyses and sub-microscopic images were instrumental in demonstrating how this complex drawing medium works. I will be exhibiting several of my own metalpoint drawings at the museum to accompany and illustrate the lecture. Traditional old master metalpoint drawings were created using a stylus cast from solid metals, which included gold, silver, bronze and others upon specially-prepared supports such as paper, wood and parchment. The key to the success of this medium was the nature of this important preparation, called a ground, which coated the support. This specialized ground made the surface of the drawing support microscopically-abrasive and thus it was able to shear minute fragments of the metal from the stylus in such a way that they would adhere to the prepared support creating fine lines. Old master artists such as Jan van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and many others have left behind exquisite drawings done in goldpoint, silverpoint, bronzepoint and other types of metalpoint styli. The Philadelphia Museum of Art stands as one of the great art institutions of the world. In the over 125 years since its founding, it has grown to house over 225,000 works of art encompassing some of the greatest achievements of human creativity, and offers a wealth of exhibitions and educational programs for a public of all ages. I consider this to be a great honor to have received such an invitation. If you have any questions, comments, or if you would like to know which metalpoint drawings I will be exhibiting, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. April 19, 2010 Greetings once more, I wish to announce an important acquisition that has recently taken place. The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University has just acquired one of my Trumpeter swan drawings, which is entitled, Posterior study of a preening Trumpeter swan [Natural black chalk and natural white chalk on blue wove paper, 10 x 13 inches] for their permanent collection. This drawing is from a recent and ongoing intensive study of Trumpeter swan which has resulted in a large series of drawings and paintings and is becoming a highly successful endeavor for me. Later this year, as this series progresses, I will send out more information including how I came up with the idea for this concept, which I am calling, The year of the Trumpeter Swan. The permanent collection of drawings at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University is unmatched in depth and quality among art museums in the United States. The collection includes 12,000 works from the 14th century to the present, and offers students, scholars, and visitors a comprehensive survey of the history of Western art. Drawings by the likes of Michelangelo and other important old masters are typical in the museum's Department of Drawings, and I am extremely honored to have my artwork included in such a prestigious collection. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
The Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. February 10, 2010 Greetings, I am very pleased to announce that the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation [JAIC] has just accepted my manuscript, Natural black chalk in old master drawing, to be published later in the Fall/Winter 2010 issue. I consider this to be an extremely high honor as JAIC is an internationally respected major periodical on conservation. It contains scholarly articles dealing with scientific research, current issues and technical procedures in the conservation field. It’s scope covers the conservation of architectural materials, archeological objects, books & paper, ethnographic materials, objects, paintings, photographic materials, sculpture and wooden artifacts. The Journal is distributed three times a year to AIC members and museum, library, and university subscribers. This manuscript was written by myself and my two colleagues, Supapan Seraphin and Margo Ellis of the University of Arizona, whose contributions were indispensible and included the field emission scanning electron microscopic imaging and analysis of the natural black chalk specimens. It was not an easy task trying to pull together my nearly 20 years of research and experience working with this lost old master drawing medium, but I am absolutely thrilled with JAIC’s decision to publish this manuscript. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. January 23, 2010 Greetings, once more, Winter is an interesting time….as I write this newsletter a third major storm is hitting New Mexico. Snow accumulation form the two other storms this week have been very deep allowing me to don my telemark skis and head out the back door to explore the backcountry north of the studio. The roads and schools have been mostly closed for the past two days and yet this third storm is predicted to leave even more snow tonight and continue through the weekend. This is more snow than I have seen in many years, but it is beautiful and the moisture is most welcome here in the high desert. My gardens will grow well this spring. But back to the point of this missive, I am very pleased and extremely honored to announce that I have been selected to be the summer 2010 Artist-in-Residence for the internationally renowned National Museum of Wildlife Art. The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was founded to enrich international appreciation and knowledge of fine art. The museum has an internationally acclaimed collection of over 5,000 catalogued items and they strive to inspire public appreciation of fine art, wildlife, and humanity's relationship with nature with their collections, exhibitions, research, educational programs and publications. The museum’s stunning building overlooks the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is en route to the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There is a seamless connection between the museum, its mission, wildlife subject matter and wilderness location. The Greater Yellowstone Region is one of the few remaining areas of the United States where native wildlife still roam abundantly and free. The Lanford Monroe Memorial Artist-in-Residence Program at the National Museum of Wildlife Art was created in memory of renowned painter and sculptor Lanford Monroe, whose untimely death deprived the art world of one of its most beloved and appreciated artists. The goal of the residency program is to encourage greater understanding of the creation of artwork from start to finish and to engage museum visitors in the art-making process. With this type of understanding, visitors can better appreciate the fine art that graces the museum’s galleries. I am eagerly looking forward to this opportunity to live and work in the inspiring environments of the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the nearby wilderness regions of the Grant Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park. I anticipate that this Artist-in-Residence experience will be very rewarding and will enable me to reach new heights in the pursuit of my artistic objectives. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Best regards, Timothy
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Greetings, once again,