Painting the Wild

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition returns to Charleston, South Carolina, for its 41st year.

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is known as the southeast’s premier wildlife art show and outdoor event, featuring wildlife artwork in oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, charcoal, graphite and more, all by 500 of the top animal artists working in the country today.Ryan Kirby, The Departure, oil on linen, 36 x 48”“For more than 40 years, SEWE has celebrated the great outdoors through fine art, live entertainment and special events,” says John Powell, president of SEWE. “Every year we strive to elevate the SEWE experience for our patrons, artists and corporate partners, and our approach to the 2023 exposition has been no different. From our remarkable featured artist, Ryan Kirby, to compelling new programming and SEWE staples like the Fine Art Gallery and DockDogs, I believe that everyone involved will feel our commitment to their enjoyment in February.”Julie Jeppsen, Teton Majesty, oil on canvas, 30 x 40”

Visitors view artwork during a previous Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. Photo by Marit Elizabeth Photography/Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.Always a hot item is the Quick Draw/Speed Sculpt event, where artists paint or sculpt an original piece from start to finish in just one hour, as well as the Private Preview Afternoon, in which VIP ticket holders gain insider access to preview and purchase original art inside the Fine Art Gallery the day before SEWE begins.

Artists featured in the 2023 event include Kathryn Ashcroft, Richard Clifton, Brett Smith, Jason Tako, Mark Kelso, Rebekah Knight and dozens of others. Chris Wilson, Breathtaking Brust, wood, metal, stone, acrylic and oil, 38 x 23 x 21”

Brett Smith, Special Morning, oil on linen, 11x 14”

Kirby, who grew up on a farm in the Midwest surrounded by livestock and wild game, is the 2023 featured artist, and his oil The Departure is the featured painting. He describes his style as “loose, but accurate.I try to paint the way I experience an animal in the wild. For example, when watching a pheasant flush or a turkey gobble or an elk bugle, we tend to focus solely on that animal in that moment—nothing else matters.” The Departure features three pheasants taking flight against a golden-tinted backdrop. “I don’t worry much about minor details in the foreground or background. I paint the subject, frozen in time, as accurately as possible. Then I’ll loosen up my brushwork as I approach the edges of the canvas, letting the viewer piece together parts of the background to complete the image,” he says.Jennifer Wendt, Like a Boss, oil on canvas, 24 x 24”This year’s Southeastern Wildlife Exposition takes place February 17 to 19, 2023. Visit the SEWE website for a complete list of all the events that will be going on for the duration of the show. —