Artist Amy Bartlett Wright paints animals in their natural habitat. Enjoy her work, and be sure to visit her website for more from this talented artist.
“Chickadees”, oil, 30″ X 60”
As an artist who paints natural history, geographic location influences me strongly. I grew up on a farm on the West side of the Choptank River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As a kid, I roamed the shoreline and streams, vital tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
“Wet Feet”, oil, 24″ X 48”
As a young professional, opportunity brought me North to Rhode Island’s waters. For the past thirty years, the forests, fields, marshes and shorelines I walk are within the reach of Narragansett Bay, yet my interests in subject matter for drawing and painting have remained true to those of my youth: native plant and animal species. I include birds, mammals, snakes, turtles, salamanders and insects among the creatures that attract my attention as a realistic painter.
“Sideways Glance” acrylic, 14″ X 16”
I began my career as a scientific illustrator in 1980 and have illustrated over 65 books. I have used my skills as an illustrator to paint large format murals for zoos, aquariums, nature centers and museums and public arts commissions. My paintings act as background scenery or as exhibits themselves, in their accurate portrayal of animal in habitat.
“Little Birds in Liquid Motion” Acrylic, 10″ X 30″
Currently I am developing fine art at a scale that is more appropriate for home or office rather than museum or publication. I feel excited about the display of original paint on canvas in true color in oil or acrylic. I know well the importance of working from life and I continue my goal to achieve freshness with accuracy in my birds and other animals in their natural habitats.
“Crow Study”, acrylic, 12″ X 16”
I find plein air painting as essential training for realistic landscape painting. Outside, where breezes blow and the light constantly changes, I need to work more quickly and decisively than in the studio. What I am looking for is a gesture, the essence of the place. And through expecting more with less, I press myself to construct a painting with simplicity and brevity.
“Evening Swim”, acrylic, 24″ X 48″
I often venture with my paints to the woods, marshes and shorelines when weather allows. In the studio, I try to utilize the skills I employ in my plein air work. Yet, my studio work yields deeper, more developed, finished paintings in a combination of realism and expression.
“Three Waves”, acrylic, 10″ X 30”
I am a member of Society of Animal Artists, Oil Painters of America and Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. I had my first solo show in 2013 at the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Grassland Conservation Center in Pomfret, Connecticut.
I earned my BA in art and science from University of Maryland in 1980 and my Scientific and Technical Illustration Certificate from RISD/CE in 1990.
Beautiful work – water reflection is difficult to capture, but you do it so naturally. Nicely done!
Amy is a fantastic artist and an amazing teacher!
Amy is an AMAZING artist who can make the common outdoor scene, either animal or plant/nature, come to life indoors. She has added the beauty of the ocean in my living room at home and at my office, reminding us of how lucky we are to be living near the water and having someone capture that for us.
I am in awe of Amy’s beautiful work, which reflects both her amazing talent and her genuine appreciation of nature. I am grateful for her gift and her willingness to share it with us – a true blessing!