Call of the Wild:The Passionate, Artistic Vision of Art Wolfe

© Art Wolfe / www.artwolfe.com

“I grew up in suburban West Seattle during the 50s and 60s, near a very large wooded ravine (now Fauntleroy Park),” says internationally-acclaimed nature photographer Art Wolfe.

“I spent much of my childhood in that ravine learning about nature. By the age of seven,” he adds, “I had a little field guide bird book, a mammal book, and a plant book. I memorized and could identify virtually anything that was in that forest.”

© Art Wolfe / www.artwolfe.com

Since those early days exploring the wilds of West Seattle, Art Wolfe has spent much of his life exploring and documenting the wild throughout the world. He travels nearly nine months of the year in pursuit of his art and has worked on every continent on earth.

“I take pride in the fact that I am able to bring the environment and the world’s cultures into other people’s lives,” says Art. “If people get out into nature, they quickly learn to love it and want to protect it.”

Accolades for his photographs are about as vast as the canvasses they paint. Hailed by William Conway, former president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, as “the most prolific and sensitive recorder of a rapidly vanishing natural world,” Art has taken an estimated two million images in his lifetime and has released over sixty books, including many award-winning volumes. He is also the recipient of numerous prestigious awards from a wide variety of photographic and conservation organizations.

And perhaps you’ve caught a taste of his far-flung adventures, along with his iconic images, in the public television series Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge.

Despite all this, Art’s foray into the world of professional photography was a bit of a happy accident. He wanted to be a painter. Artistic talent runs in his family (both parents were commercial artists) and he majored in Fine Arts and Art Education at the University of Washington. Had he been able to land a job as a high school art teacher, would he have pursued his hobby in photography with such vigor? “By that time I had already begun getting fully indoctrinated into the world of photography,” Art recalls. “I learned to take pictures from the many hikes and climbs that I did on the weekends while I was going to college.”

Still, his double degrees have stood him in good stead and his unique approach to nature photography is based on his training in the arts and his love of the environment. His goal is to win support for conservation issues by “focusing on what’s beautiful on the Earth.”

“He’s just a good, good, good, guy,” says colleague Ed Marquand, creative director of Marquand Books in Seattle and co-founder of Mighty Tieton, an incubator for artisan businesses based near Yakima (marquand.com; www.mightytieton.com). “We’ve worked together on a couple of book projects. I think we were friends from the moment we met.”

Ed describes Art as very intense but also very funny. “He is truly a global artist and feels comfortable in any part of the world, in any setting. But comfort is not an issue for him. When you hear him talk about the stench of the walruses and penguins so strong it would kill a horse, and yet he stays for days and days waiting for the right light… You get a sense of how dedicated he is to what he is trying to achieve.”

Another colleague, Anne Lancaster (founder of the Community Artists Program, a collaborative venture among local artists and organizations - www.communityartistsprogram.com), first encountered Art’s work when she moved to Seattle in the 80s and saw his images lining the creaky, wooden hallways of the old REI building. “I fell in love with his photographs,” she says, “and I’ve appreciated his work throughout the years.” She also appreciates him as a person. “He is generous, an educator, a consummate conservationist, and a sweet, caring man. He is also funny, and quite an entertainer!” she exclaims, describing his skill telling stories and engaging audiences at his lectures.

In yet another venture, Art Wolfe leads photography tours and workshops around the world. “I love to turn people on to places that turn me on,” says Art. “I derive a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from taking small groups of people out around the world to places that have yielded amazing moments in my life. It’s a great honor to have people live those same experiences that I have.” Upcoming tours include South Africa, Botswana and India (for information visit www.artwolfeworkshops.com).

How does he keep his work fresh after 30 years? “I constantly change my approach to photography. I completely change my style; I change my subjects frequently, with the intent of avoiding photographer’s block.” He is about to release a body of work entitled The Human Canvas. “For the first time in my life I’m embracing the photography of nudes, but in a different way than is common. I am combining my background as a painter with my skills as a photographer. I take human models and paint their bodies to resemble the backdrops that I’ve painted. This work will eventually be a fine art collection with an accompanying collectors’ book.” You may one day see this work in museums.

After so many years spent traveling the world, Art still calls Seattle home, and lives not far from that wooded ravine of his childhood. “[Those] early experiences gave me a profound sense of natural history which has stayed with me to this day.”

Believe it or not, he finds some time off now and then and often spends it working in his yard. “My yard is a great old Japanese-style garden replete with Japanese maples and black pines. It takes a lot of work to maintain the shapes of these trees, and I’ve become a landscape designer! I think I could actually do this for a living.”

But, of course, he has no plans to switch careers or even, at age 60, consider a future retirement. “Eventually I will slow down my pace of international travel, but I can’t imagine not traveling at all. My father was a great role model for me. He recently passed away at the age of 94, but he kept his brain and wits about him and worked until he was in his 90s.

“As an artist, like most writers, poets, sculptors, painters, or photographers, I don’t plan to retire,” reflects Art. “We may slow down the pace, but never give up our medium. It is what sustains you; it is the lifeblood.

“Overall,” he adds, “it’s a life well lived!”

Art Wolfe donates performances and work to environmental and educational groups every year; his lecture series is also in demand for corporate conventions and trade shows. His latest book is Dogs Make Us Human. Art Wolfe maintains his gallery, stock agency, production company and digital photography school in the SODO district of Seattle. For more information, call 206-332-0991 or visit www.artwolfe.com.

This article recently appeared in the December 2011 issue of Northwest Prime Time, the Puget Sound region’s monthly publication celebrating life after 50.