Interview - Page 2

What person or factor has influenced you the most?
Rachelle - Wes has influenced me the most.  I also greatly admired Norman Rockwell while I was painting portraiture.
Wesley - I tend to like a broad spectrum of art and artists but obviously Rachelle spurs me on more than any other.  We tend to have friendly competitions all the time.  Yes...Rachelle wins more of the awards!

"Misty Sentinel"
Wes Siegrist
12x16" 30.5x40.6cm
Species: Crested Caracara

In what way?
W/R- We openly discuss and critique other artist's work at exhibits and we are always trying to improve our own work (meaning each other's)  We participate in about 30 annual exhibits so we're constantly being exposed to great art and never tire of seeing more.

Do you motivate/critique/encourage each other?
Yes...all the time!  We've learned to speak our minds openly although Rachelle has had problems getting used to critiquing her instructor.

How is your artwork enhanced by being married to an artist?
Almost everyone we talk to consider being married to another artist a drawback and problem but we love it.  We're both very easy going which helps and we try to see ourselves as one entity.  Rejection notices are tough when one of us gets in and the other doesn't but then we still get to attend as a guest.  Our likes and dislikes in general are very similar and we feel fortunate to be "living out" our dream of being full time wildlife artists.  Having another professional artist in the studio all the time is invaluable when it comes to critiques and decisions.  We try to push each other towards excellence at every opportunity. 

What first attracts you to a subject for a painting?
Almost everything we paint is something that we have observed in the wild or at zoos/ animal parks.  We'll observe behavior or see light play in such a fashion that we can't wait to get back and paint it!