The photography of Art Wolfe captures the sheer beauty and wonder of the earth's far corners,
documenting endangered species and landscapes that could be lost to future generations. His
photographs are a profound statement of what exists, as well as a plea for preservation.
Wolfe is a master of composition, an image magician who creates visual symphonies for
the eyes and heart. Traveling thousands of miles annually to capture revealing portraits of
wildlife, his animal studies capitalize on his subject's distinguishing features, instinctual
behavior and natural habitat. "The shots that are most successful are the photographs where
the animal and I have direct eye contact. That's the emotion of the moment."
His landscape photographs are virtual paintings which mix vibrant color, texture,
shape and the rhythmic pattern of form and space with unusual light conditions. Wolfe creates
ethereal, often mystical, impressions of nature, from haunting, misty landscapes to abstract
close ups. His photos jar the senses, awaken the imagination, allowing us access into distant
worlds.
As the youngest of three children born to a Navy-photographer father and a
commercial-artist mother, Wolfe dreamed of becoming a full-time painter, not a photographer.
It was at the University of Washington, while majoring in fine arts and art education that he
first began experimenting with an old, used camera. Self-taught, he quickly mastered the
mechanics of photography which proved to be the perfect medium for him, one which reflected
both his strength as a painter and his love of nature and composition.
Wolfe recently hosted "Safari," a television program on ESPN in which he guided
celebrities on photographic expeditions into the wild. Working with fund-raising programs for
zoos from coast to coast, Wolfe also works on assignment and publishes frequently with
periodicals such as National Geographic, National Wildlife, National Audubon and
Smithsonian. He also has released "On Location with Art Wolfe," an instructional video filmed
in Alaska, regularly leads photographic workshops and has several more books in the works
on subjects as diverse as migratory patterns, primates, eagles and the rainforests of the world.
BIRTHPLACE: Seattle, WA
EDUCATION: University of Washington
EXHIBITIONS: Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Silver Image Gallery, Seattle, WA
BOOKS: The Imagery of Art Wolfe, Arpel Graphics
Alakshak, Sierra Club Books
The Kingdom, Sierra Club Books
Owls, Their Life and Behavior; Crown Publishing
Chameleons, Dragons in the Trees, Crown Publishing
Light on the Land, Beyond Words Publishing
Bears, Their Life and Behavior, Crown Publishing
Masters of Disguise, Crown Publishing
Hiding Out, Crown Publishing
Penguins, Puffins and Auks, Crown Publishing
The Art of Photographing Nature, Crown Publishing
Wild Cats of the World, Crown Publishing
In the Presence of Wolves, Crown Publishing
Migrations, Beyond Words
Tribes, Clarkson N. Potter
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