People often ask us which is our favorite season for photographing wildlife and we would have to say it is a tie between spring and fall. Spring is the rebirth of new life! There is a cacophony of sounds-birds singing to attract a mate or to protect their territory. The trees are leafing out and flowers are blooming, the lush green grasses and fields of mustard grass and poppies are intoxicating.

In the early spring we search for birds displaying courtship behavior and then revisit those areas every few days. This spring we have been fortunate to locate a Western bluebird nesting cavity, an American kestrel nesting cavity and a rookery filled with nesting herons and egrets. We also spent time with a family of river otters.

We will never compromise the welfare of an animal just to get a shot. Although it is tempting to stay at a nest site or den for hours, we know our presence can be unsettling for the wildlife doing their best to survive. We photograph with long lenses and often crop our images rather than inching closer to wildlife-we know they appreciate not having humans too close!

We believe spending time with wildlife is sacred time and the goal for every photographer should be to be a voice for all animals and never compromise their welfare.

Our images tell a story about the occurrences in the lives of various animals. We try to capture shots that are often not seen by many people, so the images are all the more distinctive.

We think the medium of metal prints enhances our wildlife photos and we can customize our images to meet your needs. We also create unframed custom sized giclée prints on hot press watercolor paper. Please come visit us at 4th Street Fine Art and the eighteen other talented artists that display their work in this gallery.

​Gems in Bloom is her latest project. An amalgamation of stackable rings fashioned after the flora and fauna found in her backyard landscape. "I've wanted to tackle a project with stackable rings for awhile, but I've been looking for an angle that I haven't seen before. The little spots of color in these gems remind me of the bursts of color confetti that you see when spring is in bloom. For good measure I have designed some gem-studded insects as well." 

This is a young project, only a couple weeks in the making, but stay tuned to Instagram to see the new pieces as they make their way to the shelves. ​

Covid has drastically altered Jeff and Wendy’s wildlife photography. Typically, they are traveling to different parts of the world and within the USA photographing a wide variety of animals, but Covid has allowed them to focus on all of the amazing wildlife that can be found locally.  It has also provided Jeff, who does wildlife drawing, with the opportunity to devote more time creating charcoal drawings of animals that are near and dear to his heart such as a gray fox, great horned owl and a river otter. Giclée prints of these animals are available for sale at the gallery.

​This fall, Jeff and Wendy enjoyed spending time with two juvenile great horned owls, who allowed them to capture some very breathtaking images of owl behavior. One image is of one of the young raptors taking flight and another image captures one of the owls having a stare down with its parent as it begged to be fed!  The adult won the stare down and flew away! 

Bobcats and river otters are two of their favorite subjects and over the past six months they have been able to observe and photograph these two apex predators on many occasions. They have also spent time photographing a variety of shorebirds and songbirds often capturing images of them in flight.

They are also very involved in conservation efforts and time at home has allowed them to create Zoom presentations and write articles about conservation issues and ethical photography. They donate their images to Lindsay Wildlife, Sea Otter Savvy and River Otter Ecology Project to support nonprofits that are doing tremendous work promoting awareness and support for wildlife conservation issues.
 
Jeff’s limited edition charcoal pencil drawings are also available for sale at the gallery.

Please  visit Fourth Street Fine Art where you can view their photographs and Jeff’s drawings that are on display or spend a little time exploring their website and step into a world of wildlife wonder  www.jeffandwendyphotography. If you find an image you would like to purchase, please contact them and they will create a custom metal or giclée  print produced just for you!
 
Jeff and Wendy’s  goal is to capture images which promote an awareness and respect for all wildlife and provide people with a piece of art that reminds them of the importance of connecting with wildlife on an emotional level. So why not bring a little wildlife into your home- we know it will sooth your soul.

Cindy has been preparing for a show that she will display with a botanical painter, Sal Petru, in January, 2020. Due in part to Covid, she has returned to an early love, painting flowers in watercolor. This is the story of one piece for the show.
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While she usually uses her own photos, the photo which she used as a springboard for this painting is a stock photo:

Why did she call it “For Ms. Delany”? In the late 18th century, the 72-year-old Mary Granville Pendarves Delany (1700–1788) began making cut paper collages in the manner of a botanical painting, or as she described it “…a new way of imitating flowers”. Over the next ten years, she created roughly 1,000 of these paper “mosaicks” that are of such accuracy and artistry as to be compared to the great botanical illustrations of the day. When completed, they were bound into ten volumes to become the Flora Delanica.
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Delany’s method was to form the plants from pieces of wallpaper or hand-colored paper that she had cut with a scalpel and small scissors. (11/15/15 issue of periodical "Desert Breeze”. )

The show goes up on January 10 through February 28 and there is a reception from 1 to 3 PM on January 31st. Looking forward to seeing you there!

I find inspiration everywhere from junk stores to natural landscapes to urban sidewalks to historical ruins to the hardware store. I am always wondering who was there before me, what lives objects lived before I encountered them, how materials could be used in an unexpected way, and how I can add to the story.​​

​Where I grew up, everyone was an artist - creating the structures and decorations of daily rituals and ceremonies. I am no different but took the practice seriously. My sense of security and my hope for prosperity were tied to my creative efforts. ​

I start a painting without a preconceived thought. Even if I have something in mind, it loses its grip by the final stage. I do not predict my brushwork - I work to the edge of my canvas until there is no room to drag the brush any further. The frame of my canvas is the limit. Sometimes I like to be in the limitation which generates tremendous pressure to go beyond the edge or surface. This creates a visual energy within the canvas. ​

At this point, you can call me an artist but I need to prove it truthfully. I want to go beyond the game of failure or success.

The lockdown situation gives an example to understand the pressure of creative urge within limitations. All of my art works I have done during this time are a struggle to escape from the limitations. Deliberately I chose a color palate - predominantly grey and brown. Each treatment or element has its own struggle, conflict, and conclusion. Society is going through a change due to the pandemic, and the part I can control is my own discipline in my art. I find shelter in my canvas.

One of the art works from this series is called “Stuck” which is featured in the 34th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition 2020 and selected for honorable mention and purchase by the City of Emeryville for their Public Art Collection.
Come and shelter in my canvas.  

​My name is Greg and my work and art meld into one. Like many others during this pandemic my work life has been adversely affected.  After over four months off, I am finally back out running a tugboat and doing what I truly love.