MEET THE ARTIST WHO PAINTS WILDLIFE, AND HAS SPENT MUCH OF HER LIFE PROTECTING THEM

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BLOG POST #1-ANIMALS ARE OFTEN BETTER THAN PEOPLE!

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KATHRYN LEHOTSKY

PROFESSIONAL WILDLIFE ARTIST

As a kid who grew up watching reruns of Walt Disney movies where animals could talk, think, and experience emotions, my best friends for much of my childhood were animals. Not just dogs and cats but all kinds of creatures. From then to now, I rescued animals who were hurt, injured, hungry, or disoriented from an accident or trauma. When I was about eight years old, I set up a rough animal hospital in my parent's garage and tended to creatures like bats, baby birds, mice, stray cats, crawdads, snakes, and stray dogs; you name it, I took them under my wings and tried to save them, if possible.

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Along with caring for injured creatures, I believed that animals had souls like humans. I was certain they could feel, think, and rationalize problems. My devotion to reruns of old television shows like Lassie and old movies like Bambi and Old Yeller made me sure that once animals die, they go to Heaven, just like some humans do. I was a highly sensitive kid without many human friends, so the friends I felt most comfortable with was animals.

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Over the years, I studied the anatomical structure of birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish to draw them accurately. I felt I had to understand an animal’s physiology along with its more aesthetic aspects like the color of fur, feathers, and gills. In college, I was accepted into the School of Art and Design and often worked in ink, drawing fine lines to define my subject. When I paint an animal now, I use a tiny brush with fine bristles and apply layers of different colors. That way, the end result is a detailed painting that gives the appearance of a photograph. As a professional artist who has spent most of my career painting for a living, I now rely on all aspects of my background, like anatomy, biology, structure, and esthetics, to create an artistic yet realistic approach to portraying the animals I've studied most of my life.

I will post more short stories that I've written about my career as a wildlife artist and my experiences loving and protecting animals. Those precious yet lonely childhood years influenced my future career as an artist who portrays animals in a photo-realistic way.

Kathryn Lehotsky

CHECK BACK SOON FOR THE NEXT BLOG POST!

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