Video made at the Deer & Turkey Expo

Larry Seiler interview- Bowhunting.com/

Summing up the Whitetail Deer & Turkey Expo...Alliance Building, Madison, WI

I've attended the expo..but this my first year with a booth.  Thousands and thousands of sportsmen, women and children.  Wonderful hearing all the comments, the interest in my sporting portraits.  Meeting sporting television celebrities, authors...great and legendary hunters.  Some awesome opportunities brewing...some national recognition among sportsmen and our outdoor heritage.

My son Jeremy was the catharsis to once more revive and take this past offering of mine as an artist off the shelf.  The last of this type of show were the deer classics of the 80's...and more humble beginnings by everyone.  My schtick...my schpeel really, is I don't need another "job"...I already have my painting, my teaching...books, videos...but, my enjoyment as a sportsmen and the kindredness with those likeminded, it is a passion...a joy to paint that pure moment where all the planning, the years of effort, knowledge...all come together.  The smile displayed over one's game not one of arrogance as those hostile to hunting might suggest, nor gloating...but a deeper satisfaction and joy of a long anticipated hope finding its culmination.  A respect...for the game...the pursuit.

Here was my booth...and my son Jeremy working the booth.  At the start of the second day...just before doors opening, sharing with a friend and biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society Gary Zimmer, having their booth right next to ours...

Here, yours truly...a bit tired admittedly, taking a moment from working on this painting of hunter Jeff Hendzel and a fine cougar taken this winter in Idaho...

Here is the finished painting, signed...a few touch ups.. 30"x 20" oil on linen...

...and...our first day, Jeremy and I were most excited to meet Lane Benoit, of the legendary Benoit family...of Vermont and Maine, the finest trackers of deer, stalkers and hunters there is...with many monster bucks to their credit. Won't get into details...but my son and I hold some expectation that we may well have opportunity in time to come to enjoy a hunt with this master!!!  And...what a hoot Lane is...greatest stories he tells...and funny!

In sum...what a grand time it was...and most memorable was doing this with my huntin' buddy, my son Jeremy. It doesn't really get better than this!

To those new friends, fellow sportsmen and women we met, it was truly an honor.  To the many that took a business card of mine and found themselves here, welcome!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me...and I'll be glad to help you.  Look forward to perhaps working with you for your own sporting portrait.  My post that follows here explains the break down of my fees for portraits.  It was great meeting many of you!!!  Let's do it again...soon!

Ordering a Sporting Portrait...Sizes...cost structure

At this time...and foreseeable future...my prices for sporting portraits are based on $3 per square inch. I take 30% of that total as a downpayment, non-refundable...(your commitment), and upon completion of the work will contact you. You will be responsible for shipping and insurance costs...and I will build a protective crate. Shipping by UPS or Fed Ex...approximately five days after final payment clears.

I have a commission contract...will fill it out and send you either by email or snail mail...which you then sign and return.

Best photos are high resolution digital images which can be emailed. I will work from photos that are sharply focused...good photos..which I will scan and work from on my computer.

Average sizes and prices worked out, to give you an idea-

11"x 14" = total of 154 inches @ $3 per sq in = $462
16"x 20" = total of 320 inches @ $3 per sq in = $960
20"x 30" = total of 600 inches @ $3 per sq in = $1800

Other popular sizes are 12"x 16", 18"x 24", 24"x 36"

Bit more work...and now ready for the Expo...

This is about as far as I want to start and take this one.  Far enough to show my intent to take this piece....but yet enough work to keep me busy for the three day Expo event.


I know I'll get stopped continuously talking and meeting sportsmen and women...which is all fun, but will be trying to paint at the show.  Click on image to bring up larger view..


see ya at the Expo....March 30th thru April 1st...Alliance building, Madison Wisconsin..

Mountain Lion... 30"x 20"

Starting a new one...on Senso linen, stretched on thick frames as a gallery wrap.  A nice nice mountainlion taken by my brother in law, Jeff Hendzel out west recently...and will be working on this one at the Whitetail Deer & Turkey Expo behind my booth last weekend of March, in Madison...at the Alliance Building.  Hope to see some of you there...

clicking on image brings up larger view....

this shows the first blocking in stages...and the painting progressed quickly from here...

Calling it Done..."Jeremy's Eight"...

Now the wait to fully dry, then varnish...and believe this one is going to look very nice on the wall!  

the second image shows the top wrap painting, as are the sides.  Clicking on images brings up larger view...

 

Jeremy's Buck...most almost done!

20"x 30" on stretched linen...gallery wrap...completed the camo jacket, antlers, and painted the modeled rendering of a monochromatic set of hands.  Last step will be to repaint hands with more color for good solid flesh tones...also included, a side view...which reveals that the sides of the gallery wrap linen support are also painted, which will give the painting more presence seen in a room's open space.  Oh, and should remind, clicking on the images brings up a larger view!

Progress...near finished, Jeremy's Eight Pointer

Well....been a bit since posting the start of Jeremy's painting, but you can see how it has dramatically changed working this from initial blocking in to now.  I have work on the hands, antlers, and jacket's camo...and then will essentially be done...(clicking on image brings up larger view...)

Couple New Projects...

Finished up an online five week webinar for Go to Meeting on painting, and first thing on the agenda was to finish a 10"x 8" gouache of a friend in Alaska...with myself and another friend fishing on the Deshka River for salmon..land of the "Midnight Sun!"

Gouache is an opaque watercolor medium, which is much fun to play around with.  If you've never played with it, its a bit like liquid pastel (as I would describe it).

and...just started this one of my son Jeremy's nice eight pointer harvested with bow this season...oil on linen, 20"x 30" ....and will post the finished result.

Alaskan Brown w/guide 14"x 18" oil painting

Finished...Manitoba Grizzly 20"x 24" oil painting

Well...believe I've done justice and am satisfied,
this beautiful Manitoba grizzly and the proud hunter...




















Closeup of the hunter...




















Closeup of the bear's head-
















Here you get a closeup view of brushwork and color in the
manner I have applied broken color here. Manipulating
the viewer's eye to mix color in their eye by not completely
mixing the color on my palette before applying. This gives
a truer sense of the light of nature in my opinion, and the
illusion of the rich color in the fur-




















As always...clicking on images bring up larger view...

Manitoba Grizzly- 20"x 24" oil

This is my third session working on this one, not
quite finished...but having fun. Very appreciative
getting the reference photo recently at the Deer
Classic held in Green Bay two weekends ago...

























As always, click on the image and see a much larger view!

12"x 9" oil alla prima Self-Portrait Study

Did a quick three hour study last night from a
photo of myself, one my wife took when I came
home from a successful bowhunt two years ago.

Working to better understand some of John Singer
Sargent's alla prima paint methods. More of that
is explained and demonstrated in my Painting From
Life blog...

12"x 9" oil...





























My wife took the reference photo for this one after
I came home from a successful night of bowhunting,
but she enjoyed the simple portrait study because it
will remind her of my personality coming home many
a night from fishing, (last night ice fishing), or
hunting...or even painting landscapes outdoors. So,
this one is for her.

There is the purpose and service a portrait provides,
as a lasting memory not only for the successful
sportsman or woman, but the family members there-
after in years to come.

Tim's Monster Canadian Whitetail Buck...oil painting

18"x 24" oil...just framed it up in time for Christmas,
hopin' someone will be surprised and happy!!

Take 'Em Boys! Finished...16"x 24" oil Bluebill waterfowling

This is a painting of my long childhood friend, Mike
whom I spent a good many days hunting ruffed grouse,
shooting skeet...but most memorable, hunting the Big
Bay of Green Bay. We called ourselves the "Bay Men!"

This depicts bluebills on the peripherals winging in,
and Mike is mindful of those bluebills he has
opted to pass up, (note his eye glancing up), but
is committing to what no doubt promises a better '
outcome before him among his decoy spread!

(Click on image to see much larger view)

Two Dog Portraits...in Oil

Sporting portraits is not limited just to men and
women or youth hunting or fishing, but sometimes one's
favorite partner in the field is his/her dog. Here are
two example paintings I did...and taking advantage
of creativity, putting a composite images together from
really very fine reference photos in my possession.

This is a painting of Riley...a young female Chessapeake
Bay Retriever. Young...full of vigor and all that is pup.
She is maturing. I love her intense gaze. A very pretty
dog...


20"x 24" oil


























And this, was a work for a wedding anniversary
gift...a Curly Hair Golden Retriever and a
chocolate Lab...Ashley and Gracie...24"x 30" on
canvas

























clicking on the images will show a nicer larger view

Mike and Tonio 14"x 18" oil

Here are more recent works, in oils...and oils have
a very rich color, and a painterliness. Such works
are better taken in from a few paces back, and getting
closer to the work you see the thicker medium of oil
applied with each brushstroke. This is really a
preferred direction I am going...and much fun for me.

This is a friend, Mike...and his Chessy retriever
female companion...Tonio...

Samples of Sporting Portrait Past works...

These are works from my past...


The first an oil, and a commission from the State Department
of Natural Resources, which I did for their annual state
warden's convention last year.

The piece is 30"x 40" on gallery wrapped canvas- A warden
glassing possible violation from an area blind of duck hunters!

























The rest that follow are acrylics as the medium, and
what I'll say about these is they represent the atmosphere
of detail the wildlife art genre demanded in their day.
Averaging from 75 to 200 hours on a portrait using acrylics
and this style makes it today very difficult for anyone to
afford having a painting done.

Since I have been painting the past 14 years with my
portable oil easel outdoors on location, learning to paint
fast and painterly to capture the subject within a small
window of opportunity before the light would change, I
have learned to make much out of color and values, and the
brushstroke to suggest. In short...I am having a lot of
fun reviving this genre form for myself, using oils...and
believe I can offer a product that falls within the scope
of being more affordable. So...you see in these acrylics
a chapter of my past...a skill I have not lost, but not
inclined to continue with. I am enjoying the growth I've
had as a painter...and instead of just copying photo
references people give me, making artistic decisions that
will produce good paintings. That is because of my time
spent painting outdoors these past many years, and I now
understand what the camera does not capture as does the
eye. I hope you'll be able to pick up on my more recent
work what I'm talking about...however, enjoy these!

24"x 36" Mike's Pike!




















This one actually done for a print series called,
"Ain't Seen A Thing All Day!" (prints still available)




















This one called, "Bobber Stare Down!"






























36"x 24"





























24"x 18" Dick's Buck





























24"x 36" Dave's Buck






















Duane's Canadian Walleye-





















































Partner's Luck..





























Catch 'N Release Moment-




















A Father's Tribute and Memory-

Reviving of my offering to paint "Sporting Portraits!"

I have gone thru a metamorphosis as an artist, starting
out as a wildlife artist of reputation winning Wisconsin's
1984 Wildlife Artist of the Year, then on going state,
regional and national competitions placing as a finalist
or runner-up 23 of 34 times entered. My last win and
last time entering, the 1998 Wisconsin Inland Trout
Stamp competition.

Then about 14 years ago...I ran into a paradoxical wall
for myself. Here I was indoors painting about what I
loved outdoors. So much time spent on painting that I
literally had little time anymore to spend my time
outdoors. As a painter, it was a slow leak of that
which fueled me, and I needed to spend more time outdoors
without sacrificing my joy of painting.

The compromise was taking a portable easel outdoors, and
learn to paint from life. The vogue label for that today
is called "plein air" painting...that is French for
painting in the open air.

My style loosened up necessarily, as nature gives you a
very short window of opportunity, that is, the available
light quickly changes or disappears and can leave you the
painter standing there wondering "now what?"

My confidence with the brush over the past many years has
grown greatly, each stroke of paint intuitively found as
essential and necessary. I have evolved and grown as a
painter.

I thought my wildlife art and sporting portrait days of
old were behind me...but I can credit taking in a Carl
Rungius exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
in Wausau, Wisconsin for breathing new life into me.

Rungius was the first professional career American wildlife
artist we have, also a hunter who traveled on horseback into
mountains to hunt bear, elk, muleys...and painted from life
studies of skins he caped out. He also painted on location
to develop a good sense of the area, of the outdoors and
how color and the subject appear in their natural setting
outdoors.

What inspired me was that Rungius style outdoors with his
spontaneous brushwork did not deviate when he painted his
larger in-studio wildlife paintings...using his outdoor
studies as his reference. I saw that indeed wildife and
sporting outdoor subjects could be treated with this very
aesthetic flair and expression.

Of late...I've been painting some portraits again, and my
favorite of such portraits are my hunting and fishing peers
at the moment of elation, joy experiencing their moment of
encountering their intended game. For me, in this critical
time politically where the move toward globalization is
pitting the outdoorsman more and more as a relic of the
past to be done away with, controls on guns...you name it,
and this very errant idea that man is an unwelcome
intrusion to nature is cause for me once more to wield the
brush in hand to reinforce that idea that it is natural
for mankind to embrace moments outdoors and experience the
joy of what has long been our heritage and right.

If you have some great photographs of hunts, fishing and
might have an interest in having a sporting portrait done,
feel free to contact me and inquire about prices and so
forth. My preference is working with digital images as
they allow me a much closer zooming in study to get things
just right.

I hope you'll enjoy my paintings where my passion for the
outdoors and my joy with paint come together. Please take
a moment to check out my links to my other blogs, my main
artist's website!