Image by Dustin Van Wechel/SEWE
The 2012 poster for the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (that's SEWE for you regulars) is here, and, as you can see, it's all about bison.
Dustin Van Wechel created an original piece in oil for the poster.
Since leaving the field of advertising in 2002, Dustin has pursued his painting full-time, and has won numerous awards, including a 2004 Wyoming Conservation Stamp Art Competition, the Wildlife Award and Teton Lodge Company Award at the 2006 Arts for the Parks competition, and most recently, "Best in Show" at SEWE 2011.
His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., including one-man shows and major art exhibitions, as well as in the National Museum of Wildlife Art's Western Visions show in Jackson, Wyoming. A resident of Gilbert, Arizona, Dustin is a signature member in both the Society of Animal Artists and the Pastel Society of America.
"My work is a reflection of my love of nature and the outdoors, and my style is something I've always thought of as 'in development.' As I've grown as an artist, I've noticed my work is finding more focus in both the way I approach a painting and in the resulting look of any finished piece," Dustin said. "Loose brushwork and thick paint that not only help to reinforce the dimensional aspects of an image, but also provide the viewer interesting textures and plays of light, are qualities of my work I continue to refine and nurture. I'm also taking more time to develop compositions that create drama and sweep the viewer into my work — hopefully telling a story the viewer can connect with in some way."
The festival is an annual celebration of, you guessed it, wildlife in the Southeast. Each year it dominates downtown and Marion Square for a week hunting lore, painting, and animal displays.
It is held each year in multiple venues throughout downtown Charleston. In 2012 it will run from February 17 to 19. This year marks the festival's 30th anniversary.
If you didn't know, bison used to roam the Palmetto State and you can see one over at Charlestowne Landing.
