"The soft sound of the wind moving through the pines; the power of sunlight peeking through the trees; the soft sound of a single exclusive distant bird; the temperature, and the pure clean smell of nature. It is all of these particular moments that make it essential for us to protect our environment. What I see in nature is the base that holds the painting together, and tells the story."
A group of wolves at the West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discover Center"I was watching Hayden, he stared straight at my camera lens. He knew I was watching him and he jumped up on some rocks, posing! I snapped pictures of him knowing that I would do a painting. The image of him stuck in my head until I finished the painting.
"At the time I took the photograph of Hayden I didn't know he was the alpha male. Later, after I had titled the painting 'In the Lead' I understood. The staff at the center told me that he was the leader, a very good and gentle one. Later they retired him, which means they turned him out into the habitat. They let him go and now they have a new pack of wolves there." (See photo above of one of the new wolves).
At the West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center Deb was able to observe a pack of wolves. "What’s important is experiencing the animal, seeing how it interacts with others, feeling the excitement of watching it."
Photos courtesy of the West Yellowstone Grizzly & Wolf Discover Center
The center is an AZA Accredited, not-for-profit Wildlife Park and Educational Facility, and is dedicated to providing visitors to the Yellowstone area the unique opportunity to learn about, view and ultimately appreciate the grizzly bear and gray wolf.
After completing the portrait of Hayden, which you can see in the upper right corner of this website and here, Deb donated a giclée of "In the Lead" to the center. Tickets for the raffle to raise money for new educational facilites were sold for over half a year, and the portrait hung above the center's fireplace. The money raised went back into the center to help create more opportunites for learning about wildlife.
Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvement, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.
Deb is participating in Pheasants Forever's efforts by donating prints to people who become sponsors.
They continue to lead the way in conservation in Pottawattamie County with wildlife habitat by building buffer strips, food plots, tree planting and land acquisitions. We continue to be on the cutting edge of preserving Iowa's natural habitat for generations to come.