The artist was born in a large stone mansion in Michigan, situated between Chicago and Detroit, and grew up in the Midwest surrounded by creativity from an early age. Her father painted, while her mother danced—fueled by strong coffee and a love of chocolate. Art was not a discovery later in life; it was woven into her beginnings.

From finding solitary sanctuary in the northern Wisconsin woods around Sandra’s childhood farm, to a career as a wildlife biologist, the natural progression after retirement has been to share the immense beauty and wonder of the natural world that she has experienced. “My hope is that others may come to understand it more deeply and be moved to protect it long after I am gone. In many ways, my art is a way of giving back—or perhaps giving forward—for all the gifts of seeing that I have been given.”

Explore a collection of wildlife paintings that reflect a lifelong connection to the natural world. Sandra creates art that honors the beauty, spirit, and individuality of wild animals. Each piece is a tribute to my deep reverence for wildlife and a commitment to artistic excellence.

Nori Thorne is an award–winning pastelist celebrated for her depictions of the people, artifacts, lifestyle and the land of the American Southwest.  She works to capture a strong sense of place and secrets revealed through the mastery of her medium — capturing changing light and color with formidable drawing skill.  She is undaunted by the challenges of working en plein air to render her desert scenes.  Cayoneering, which always calls for endurance while packing in her pastels and panels, is just part of the joy of making art about this rugged region.   She is equally at home with revealing the unique beauty of the lifestyle and peoples of the American Southwest with sensitive feel and authenticity.

Molly Sims is a classical realist oil painter who specializes in depicting wildlife and birds.  She wants her paintings to feel real and lifelike and to impart a view of the beauty and innocence that she sees.  She usually prefers to have a single focus in her works, so she sometimes keeps her backgrounds loose and amorphous.   

Jan McKay feels her paintings of wildlife, pets, and nature, are the perfect subjects to display the beauty of creation, and the love we have been given from above.  She was an interior designer for 26 years.  This experience developed her natural eye for beauty and design. This skill translates into her paintings.

Yun Wei is a representational painter who uses traditional oil painting techniques in all of her work.  She is deeply inspired by Dutch Golden Age still life masters such as Willem Kalf and Willem Claeszoon Heda—artists known for their rich textures, finely rendered objects, and quiet emotional resonance.  She has received awards for excellence and best-in-show in various juried exhibitions.  Her work has also been featured in respected art publications such as Western Art Collector, Art of the West, Southwest Art, and Fine Art Connoisseur.

Leslie White is an American artist best known for her watercolor paintings that capture the essence of landscapes, places of personal meaning, and travel experiences. Her work often reflects bright, intense colors and dramatic shadows, drawing viewers into the emotion and atmosphere of each scene. She creates the vivid color of her vibrant paintings by layering multiple washes of watercolor.

Susan Hediger Matteson is a contemporary oil painter who focuses on landscapes, outdoor scenes and animals.  Her work is celebrated for its quiet light, atmospheric quality, and representational beauty.  She paints en plein air and uses her studies and sketches made on location as inspiration for her studio work.

Whether it is the poetry of a mustang in gallop or the sublime beauty of the southwestern landscape, Cheryl Koen’s paintings reflect the spirit of the west and its inhabitants. The wide–open spaces conveyed in her work are meant to invoke a feeling of nostalgic connection with the wild west and dreams of times past and present.

Although I have been painting professionally since 2005, my excitement for art has spanned many more years. In particular I have enjoyed drawing and painting animals – wild and domestic, large or small since my college days. It is a joy for me to be able to depict wildlife in their natural surroundings.

Nearly all of my paintings are in oil or watercolor. Over the years, I have developed techniques that suit my style of realism. I try to portray each of the animals in as realistic a manner as possible…the details of their feathers, the colors of their coats, and the brilliance of their eyes. There is nothing so penetrating and expressive as an animal’s eyes which is why I concentrate on faithfully depicting that window into their world.

Beverly Endsley’s art journey began with the isolation brought on by childhood illness and her bonding with a gentle friend — a pet rabbit.  She developed a deep empathy for animals in that crucible that informs her paintings.   She is a classically trained artist known for her expressive oil paintings, watercolors, and sketches that capture the unique spirit of pets and wildlife.  Her impressionist style lends a sense of immediacy and mystique, encouraging viewer participation in discovering each animal's story.  She specializes in commissioned pet portraits that honor the human–animal bond.

Cheryl King has an ongoing love affair with art and wildlife that has spanned more than thirty years.   She is best known for her expressive representations of animals and nature.  Her constant goal is to honor the animal she is painting, while infusing fun-loving, bold, honest and energetic qualities to her depictions.  King paints primarily in oils on aluminum or with mixed media.

Katherine Galbraith is a nationally recognized American artist known for her oil paintings focusing on figurative realism.  Her subjects include portraits, landscapes, still life, florals, and animal subjects.  Her portraiture clients have included notable figures such as President George H. W. Bush, and leaders in various professional fields.  She has established a strong reputation across the United States through exhibitions, awards, and representation in galleries nationwide.

Lauri Ketchum's agricultural roots and life-long love affair with the American cowboy have fueled her concentration in Western Art.  Ketchum loves capturing the essence of hard–working ranchers and sharing the ranching lifestyle through her art.  She began her art career working in watercolor and acrylics before settling on oil as her preferred medium.  Ketchum is largely self-taught and has refined her skills through workshops with artists she admires. 

Danielle Kirby is a Western landscape and fine art painter known for her richly colored, dramatic depictions of the skies, land, wildlife and light of the American West, especially the wide–open plains of southeastern Wyoming.  Her oil paintings are noted for saturated, high–contrast color palettes and dramatic use of light, coupled with expressive brushwork and artistic interpretation.

Andria Sullivan is an American visual artist known for her representational paintings that focus on wildlife, botanical subjects, landscapes, and dream-like scenes. She creates her art mainly with oil paints and pastels.  She explores scale, color, and composition freely, sometimes placing her subjects in imaginative or unexpected contexts.

Kay Juricek primarily paints landscapes of the American West, with a particular fascination for areas in Colorado like the San Luis Valley and North Park. Her oil paintings highlight the open, expansive beauty of these regions — vast vistas, light-filled skies, and scenes that inspire a sense of peace and spiritual connection to the land. She strives to capture both the transcendent beauty and the emotional essence of these places.  Her artistic voice reflects her personal experience, treating scenic views with a blend of realism and emotional depth inspired by the memory of her experience with the site.

Susan Eyer-Anderson is a California artist known for her oil and acrylic paintings that depict horses, wildlife, landscapes, and evocative western subjects. A realist artist, she often works from photographic references.  She uses rich color and pays careful attention to light, form, and detail.  She desires to capture both likeness and the heart and energy of her subjects.

Marla Epstein is an oil painter and sculptor.  Her art primarily features animals, both wild and domestic.  Her style blends realism with expressive presence.  She does not always seek to depict every detail, but strives to convey each creature’s character and vitality, rendered with strong presence and expressive technique, exploring their strength, beauty, and freedom.   Her process commonly involves observing, photographing, and researching the animal subjects before creating her artworks.  Many of her paintings emphasize a close, personal scale with the animals filling the canvas.

Maggie Rosché is a contemporary visual artist known for her landscape and wildlife paintings.  She primarily paints Colorado mountain landscapes and native wildlife, often with a sense of emotional strength and healing. Everyone has their own “Everest.” The mountains symbolize the hardships that people have had to overcome and conquer in their lives. It is a record of their personal journey and triumph.