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Linda Budge Linda Budge Studio
	Medium(s): oil Contact Info: Web: www.lindabudge.com
Artist Statement ARTIST'S STATEMENT Do you use a camera? This is a question I am asked rather frequently. Absolutely! Animals do not pose! But that being said, I do not copy or project an image. I use a camera for reference and accuracy, and even inspiration. I have taken anatomy courses, studied animals in the wild, sketched them at the zoo, and taken innumerable workshops and classes. I feel very comfortable moving legs, twitching an ear or tail to create emotion and expression. I have also found that my audience prefers correctness and precise drawing. By utilizing my ability to draw, I can create the scene that I have visualized. Years ago, when I was a little girl, I would ride my bike to the Hogel Zoo to visit Alice an Asian elephant. I was enthralled with her. I would always share my peanut butter and jelly sandwich with her, thinking to myself that one day I would own an elephant. Well, I may not own an elephant, but I can certainly draw one. Painting an elephant or in my world today, painting a mule deer, or a coyote, a bobcat, rabbit or burro, gives me the same pleasure I had as a child watching Alice. I can't imagine doing a painting without an animal or bird of some sort. It has been a constant theme in my art, and it is foremost in my mind when I start a new painting. Since, I can't commandeer Noah's Ark, I can love animals by painting them; leaving a legacy of their existence and hopefully bringing to the viewer the same joy that I experience painting them. ARTIST BIO Linda Budge is a painter and an animal lover who combines her passions for art and living creatures to produce works that radiate empathy and painterly grace. Her extensive knowledge of animals and deep experience interacting with them explains her uncanny ability to capture her subjects so accurately; and also helps to explain why her work carries such emotional power. Linda's story begins in Salt Lake City, Utah as the youngest child of three. Her summers were spent in Brighton at a cabin where Linda was surrounded with breath taking scenery; spruce and aspen trees, deep blue lakes, streams and ponds. She and her brother spent most of their time fishing, catching tadpoles and building elaborate cages for the mice and chipmunks they captured. Childhood experiences that led to a lifelong fascination with animals. Linda recalls, "I was only 12 when I won a poster contest showcasing three white rabbits. At that moment, I knew that I was going to be an artist! In high school, I became popular during elections and sports. I could draw, had a good sense of humor and could climb ladders without fear. The ladders, of course, were important for hanging banners." Junior year at Utah State University became an exciting time for Linda, as she was introduced into the world of art. It gave her a foundation that she would later build on. That same year, she met and married her husband, and that following summer they moved to St. Louis, Mo. Linda enrolled in the Famous Art School, taking correspondence classes. For the next couple of years, Linda would spend weekends and evenings studying the elements of art and a wide variety of mediums. Her husband's job took them to Laramie, Wyoming. Moving to Wyoming proved to be a blessing in disguise for her art career. She spent time in the wild, observing, sketching and painting animals and the lush scenery that abounded in every direction. She says, "I like to capture a gesture, an attitude, or an expression. My paintings should be a story told in each piece." It was also during this time in Laramie, that Linda started making life long habits of taking workshops from artists that she admired; studying books on technique, visiting museums and attending art shows. Linda has often talked about Carl Rungius, and the inspiration that he gave to her through his books and paintings. Later, upon moving to Colorado, Linda continued painting, although her career took a surprising turn. She was hired by a publishing company to design veterinary reminder cards, and she signed a contract with Hamilton to do a series of collector plates portraying Golden Retriever puppies. Ducks Unlimited asked Linda to design several limited edition prints with Labrador Retrievers. She had added dogs to her list of animals. Now living in Arizona, animals that appear in her pieces are the wildlife common to the south western United States: cottontail rabbits, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, wild burros and the desert gray wolf. Linda's ability to depict the nuances of animals so precisely is no accident. Her love of animals and intuitive relationship with them allows her to form an emotional connection with her subjects, which comes across clearly in the painting. She has a broad practical and academic experience with animals including a stint handling show dogs professionally, some courses in anatomy and a wide exposure to the minutiae of animals in their natural habitat. Linda spent years developing her technique and style. To look at her paintings, one is caught up with her fascination for light and edges. She moves, changes, adapts and creates, so that all of her paintings show a strong sense of design. She says, "I am always fascinated with how shapes, value, colors and edges can enhance, direct and orchestrate my choices." Linda has won numerous awards for her art and pieces of her work can be found in the permanent collections of several libraries, museums and corporations. One of her highest honors was a painting commissioned in 1983 by the State of Wyoming as a gift to President Reagan. Linda herself presented it to the President. The painting, of antelope, hung for many years in the living room of the President's California residence. It was moved by the President himself to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley where it remains to this day. Linda has spent a lifetime honing her skills as a painter and cultivating her love for animals. Every new picture and every interaction with another critter has enhanced her knowledge of these animals and birds, and her ability to portray them; and has provided those fortunate enough to have seen her work, a unique, even revelatory, glimpse into the animal kingdom. I was just a little girl when I rode my bike to the Hogel Zoo to visit Alice. Alice was the local attraction then, a small asian elephant. She made the newspapers more than once with her emotional outbursts. Once refusing to eat when her trainer, "Dutch" Scheider was suspended, going on a 10 day hunger strike until he returned. Another time, she forced open her door, destroyed a drinking fountain and uprooted a Chinese Elm. In my eyes, she was not only beautiful, she was famous. I would eat my peanut butter and jelly sandwich throwing her all the crusts thinking that one day I would own an elephant. Well, I have never actually owned an elephant, but each painting that I create, whether its mule deer, the Mexican gray wolf, burros, quail, or rabbits; each animal or bird that I paint, becomes mine, until the painting is framed and given to someone else to enjoy. I have spent countless hours in the "wild" doing plein air painting, observing and sketching wildlife. Each piece of the puzzle adding to my portfolio of knowledge and expertise in the world of animals and art. I want to know their expression, their attitude, how much space they occupy, what they eat, how the seasons change their mood. Right down to the smallest detail. Yes, I love animals and birds. And since I can't commandeer Noah's Ark, I can love them by painting their portraits. Leaving a legacy of their existence.

Member Profile:

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education:
University of Utah.
Utah State University.
Wyoming State University.
Workshops with nationally known artists.

Shows:
The Wild West Art Show, at the Phippen Museum (Invitational); Prescott, AZ.
Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show & Sale (Invitational).
Old West Museum; Cheyenne, Wyo.
Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour; Cave Creek, AZ.
?Art Show at a Dog Show, sponsored by the Sunflower Cluster Kennel Clubs, (juried); Wichita, Kansas.
Anthem Festival of Fine Art; Community Center, Anthem, AZ.
Sonoran Festival of Fine Art; Carefree, AZ.
American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog (one woman show); St. Louis, MO.
Governor's Art Show (Invitational); Ft. Collins, CO.
Art Show; North Platte, Nebraska.
Game Conservation International (Invitational); San Antonio, TX.
Duck's Unlimited National Wildlife Art Show; Kansas City, MO.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation; Cheyenne, WY.
Oklahoma Art Festival; Tulsa, OK.
Society of Animal Artists
52nd Annual Exhibit (juried); Bennington, VT
53rd Annual Exhibit (juried); Parker, Colorado
The Wildlife Experience in Art, show and sale (juried); Parker, Co.
Mountain Oyster Club; Tucson, AZ.

Articles:
Image Magazine.
Art West Magazine.
Wyoming Wildlife Magazine.
Prints Magazine.
Sirius, a publication of AKC Museum of the Dog.
Sports Afield.
Business Views, Longmont, CO.
Southwest Art 2008.
Dogs in Review 2009 Annual.

Covers:
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Fan Fare.
Wyoming Wildlife.
National Golden Retriever Review.
Images.
Tel Ad, a Traveler's Guide.
Clumber Spaniel Club of America.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assoc.
Sirius, a publication from the AKC Museum of the Dog.

Awards:
1st place in oil, North Platte Valley Artist's Guild Regional Show.
1st place in All Antlered and Horned Animals, Oklahoma Art Festival.
Best in Show at the Western Spirit Art Show & Sale, Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY.
Artist of the Year and Best in Show, Oklahoma Ducks Unlimited.
5th Annual Best in Show Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita, Kansas.
Best in Show, Casper Regional Art Show, Casper, WY.
Best in Show, Wyoming Wildlife Federation, First stamp and print.
26th Annual Best in Show at the Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita, Kansas.
Colorado Ducks Unlimited, Honoree of the Year for 1999.

Limited Edition Prints:
Colorado Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Regional Prints.
Ducks Unlimited Green Wing Legacy Prints.
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smith town, New York.

Collector Plates for:
Hamiliton

Corporate, Museums, & Library Collections:
Ronald Reagan National Presidential Library.
American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog.
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smith Town, NY Administrative bldg.
Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne, WY.
Laramie County Library, Laramie, WY.
Cheyenne Library, Cheyenne, WY.
Phoenix Zoo, Arizona Center for Nature Conservation.

Books:
Dogs I've Known by Linda Budge.
Breakfast, The Most Important Part of the Day sold at Amazon.
A Breed Apart by William Secord; Art Collections of the American Kennel Club.
Contemporary Western Artists by Peggy & Harold Samuels.

Professional Organization:
Society of Animal Artists, signature member.
Worldwide Nature Artists Group, signature member.
Sonoran Arts League, juried member.

Member Photo Gallery

Strolling under a large desert broom, amid the desert sun flowers, a family of quail are enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

I was out walking one morning, and unexpectedly ran into this bobcat. She didn’t see any reason to rush away and remained long enough for me to snap her photo.

Nestled deep within the lush Brittlebush, are two desert bighorn sheep rams probably catching a few z’s. They are mostly diurnal and will feed on and throughout the day on a large variety of plants including the Brittlebush, grasses, sedges and forbs. They need water only about every three days.

This painting has a lot of yellow! And it was a bit of a challenge to create dimension and form, but I love the idea of using bright colors with wildlife. Being a wildlife painter, my palette is usually an array of greens, browns and black.

Rabbits are such delightful subjects for a painting. In this one, I not only included the garden pot, but a hedgehog cactus in riotous bloom to add color to all the wonderful grays that can be seen on the desert.

One of my favorite themes, quail keeping tract of their babies. Gambles’ Quail are such family oriented birds. After being hatched, the parents keep a wary eye on their youngsters while teaching them to look for seeds and insects. Often times, one of the parents is posted on a nearby rock or bush looking for predators.

This painting was juried into Artist’s for Conservation annual juried art show, an international exhibit of nature and art. Of the 200 pieces juried in, “Promise of Spring” was one of 90 pieces selected for the exhibit. This is the world’s top conservation themed art exhibit and sale, held at the Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, B.C. The AFC exhibit tour at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum came to a close on November 25th. Plans are being made to send this exhibit on to Beijing China

Royal and elegance are words I would choose to describe this portrait. He is a magnificent bull elk, and I purposely kept the background very simple to enhance his persona. In the winter, he will eventually lose those incredible antlers, and spend time foraging for food and resting to conserve energy. For now, he has discovered a high position on a hillside enabling him to see for a long distance.

Bobcats are independent , self-assured and somewhat arrogant. Fun to capture, just the right kitty attitude.

A scene depicting those quail that frequent our gardens. Who can resist these adorable birds, and particularly the babies. This is a painting that I designed with a series of circles, soft, muted tones and desert colors.

Juried into Best of America Small Painting Show for 2018 sponsored by NOAPS (National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society) held at the Richland Fine Art Gallery in Nashville, TN, 37215

Everyone has a different adjective for a rabbit; cute, adorable, comical, silly, soft, endearing, even annoying. As a painter of rabbits, I find that I never run out of ideas to portray them. They hop and jump into situations that are meant … simply … for rabbits only; twitching their whiskers, chasing one another, and digging holes. They turn up in the most delightful places. My word for them is irresistible!

Have you ever been to Oatman, AZ? What a fun place to visit, an authentic old western town, where you just may see a gunfight. And, if you are there at 10 am with a bag of carrots, the wild burros come into town and can be hand fed. This little guy was with his Mom and I got some great reference photos that soon turned into “A Bit of Shade”.

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