WELCOME TO MY WORLD!
wildlife artist, photographer, veterinarian and conservationist
I'm Michelle McCune, DVM. Yes, I'm a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine! It makes sense why I paint animals, doesn't it?
I love to travel, learn, and share my experiences! To hear, see, and even smell animals in the wild and observe their natural behaviors is a thrill beyond all else for me! Through my art I can share these incredible experiences, teach people about the animals and why we need to help conservation for not only the beasts, but the people and land as well.
My goal is to connect you with a piece that calls to you. In doing so I hope you are then inspired to give further support to conservation and discover more about animals in nature, and maybe even plan a trip to see them in the wild and feel what I feel!
Art helps us become even better people!
“When it comes to conservation art, it is not just painting pictures to raise money for a worthy cause, though that is very good. Art is also education.”
-GAMINI RATNAVIRA
Animals have always been my passion since I was little. In kindergarten when asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I replied "a doctor or artist or work with animals"! The wisdom of a child!
Since creating my art, I have received many awards and distinctions and ha many pieces published. What really resonates with me isn't these awards but hearing that people connect to my work and being told they can almost feel the texture of the fur and share the emotions of the animals. To see children get excited when looking at my paintings and hear them imitate the animals and jump up and down is tremendous!
I am a proud member of the Artists for Conservation and pledge a portion of all profits to conservation groups. So come take a journey with me before these visions vanish forever! I believe if we work together we can make a difference for the better for the earth and all who live here!
“There is no great nobility in creating an incredible painting… If Iam going to be remembered for
anything, it is just as a person who caused people to think and realize how important wildlife is”
INSPIRATION
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Nature inspires me; hearing the rumble of elephants or smelling the fresh rains transform the plains of Africa, hearing waves crash on the rocks while a mother otter pulls her baby upon her belly to clean its fur so it won't get cold, listening to wind in towering trees. I love to watch the bees in my own garden flit from blossom to blossom and watch the different blooms as seasons change. Nature's beauty surrounds and inspires me!
TECHNIQUES
I use my experiences as inspiration and photos and research for reference for my work. My initial drawing on the canvas is detailed to give me an accurate road map to follow. I then layer the paint to provide the textures and excitement to bring the piece to life. I paint in oils and use very little mediums with the exception being occasional glazing to pull out extra vibrancy.
“Style has no formula, but it has a secret key. It is the extension of your personality, the summation of this indefinable net of your feeling, knowledge and experience.”
-Ernst Haas
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Since I began to show my work in 2008, I have had pieces published on the cover of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, numerous show books including the Artists for Conservation and the Richeson75 International Animals, Birds and Wildlife. I have been awarded Best of Show numerous times as well as Best 2-D, multiple Judge's Choice awards, People's choice awards, and Purchase awards.
“Paintingss, sculpture and photography all have the power to evoke emotion, inspire and educate.”
- BOB KUHN
