The Wilds of Texas: Capturing Flora and Fauna of the Lone Star State

William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art presents The Wilds of Texas: Capturing Flora and Fauna of the Lone Star State, on view March 25–April 30, 2016. Collector Preview Weekend: March 25-26, 10am-5pm. Opening Reception: Saturday, April 2, 6-8:30pm.

In this exhibition, The Wilds of Texas, William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art offers a long-overdue visual homage to the splendid legacy of naturalist painting in the Lone Star State by recognizing five Texas painters, a contingent from across the state who represent the state’s foremost contemporary naturalist artists.

Their varied works present broader, more painterly, twenty-first century interpretations of Texas wildlife and their environs, as they continue to approach their task with refined expertise and avid dedication to the causes of both art and nature. The exhibition is rich and pleasing in terms of its divergent style and substance, and the artists and their work are certain to appeal to the inherent naturalist instincts that remain deep in the heart of every true Texan.

Participating artists in The Wilds of Texas include Margie Crisp and husband, William Montgomery (Elgin), Keith Davis (Austin), Billy Hassell (Fort Worth), Debbie Stevens (Cypress) and William Young (Palestine), and together they present a remarkable fare.

Margie Crisp (b. 1960) is a well-known author and naturalist, as well as a notable wildlife painter and print-maker.  In 2014, she wrote and illustrated an award-winning book on the Colorado River (published by the Texas A&M University Press), chronicling in prose and pictures the life and lore of the fabled Texas Colorado.  In her small paintings of Texas birds and plant life shown in this exhibition, Crisp reveals subjects with extraordinary fidelity, rendering them exquisitely in tempera or watercolor medium.  Her lithographic prints are likewise reflective of refined draftsmanship, and are always popular favorites in the gallery.

William Montgomery (b. 1953) is a New Mexico educated, Italian-trained, Texas artist, as well as a trained herpetologist (i.e. snake scientist).  He also happens to be the spouse of the lovely and talented Margie Crisp.  Like Crisp, he is an accomplished painter, as well as print-maker.  As one might expect from an artist whose focus is on reptiles, Montgomery’s works feature species of Texas snakes, beautifully rendered in meticulous form and detail, and ensconced in their native habitat. He is also partial to turtles and amphibians.  Montgomery has recently collaborated with his esteemed wife to illustrate a soon-to-be published book on the Nueces River, a sequel of sorts to Crisp’s highly successful Colorado River story.  His presentations for this exhibition portray the distinctive flora and fauna in and around the Nueces. Many of the paintings for sale are to be included as illustrations in the upcoming publication.

Debbie Stevens (b. 1955) is truly one of the state’s premier and accomplished wildlife painters. Her paintings of cranes and water-birds have brought her national acclaim in the field of “birds in art”.  With a unique style that seamlessly integrates photo-realism with abstraction, Stevens has become a perennial award-winner in important American wildlife painting competitions.  Her paintings possess a distinctive elegance, presented in a style and scale which respects and accentuates the allure of her preferred subject matter – the majestic water-birds of Texas and the American Midwest.  While showing in this exhibition, Stevens is also simultaneously headlining the National “Birds in Art” traveling exhibition opening this month at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont (the only Texas stop for this magnificent show).

Likewise, Fort Worth’s Billy Hassell (b. 1956) is renowned for his colorful, buoyant wildlife paintings and prints. Hassell has combined naturalist instincts, extraordinary compositional skills and painterly facility to achieve prominence in the field.  His exhibitions are always successful (with sell-outs a common occurrence), and his work is found in many of the state’s most important museums and collections.  He continues the heralded tradition of lending his art for important environmental causes, partnering with the Texas Conservancy, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, as well as other organizations to produce prints and publications in support of conservation issues.

Rounding it all out are Austin’s Keith Davis (b. 1955) and Palestine’s William Young (b. 1952), whose paintings and sculpture cleverly capture the character and spirit of the outdoors.

Davis is a quirky, self-taught genius with a naturalist’s soul.  With whimsical flair and modernist style, he paints and sculpts unique critters in bold, colorful compositions.  Davis’ energetic works are each infused with a distinctive energy and his subjects all project engaging personalities. His works definitely add dimensions of fun and vibrancy to the wildlife art form.

Young’s works all have a surreal undercurrent, derived from a combination of experience painting under the tutelage of artist Ancel Nunn (1928-1999), and his personal inclination for the enigmatic and often strange folklore of Texas. A variety of his works are created as a visual homage to these Lone Star folk stories, while other works are created purely from lyrics of songs that inspire him. These whimsical, surrealistic scenes usually host some surprising blending of human and animal elements.

The Wilds of Texas makes for the perfect visual experience in concert with the arrival of spring.  It offers a superb selection of paintings by some of Texas’ most respected wildlife artists.  The exhibition promises good viewing, and is certain to delight the Texas fancy for the great outdoors.

The exhibition runs from March 25-April 30, with an artists’ reception on Saturday, April 2, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Pictured above: Billy Hassell, detail  “Fox in a Cactus Patch.”