Michele Kortbawi Wilk has been drawing since she was a girl growing up in Southern California. When she later worked with animals in the motion picture industry, she drew them from life in rare free moments. “My job was taking care of the animals every day,” she says. “Just being around them, I observed their structure and felt their essence.”
Brothers in Arms—Lion Cubs, oil and silver leaf on canvas, 16 x 40"
Her art caught the attention of Hollywood animal trainers such as Frank Inn (owner and trainer of Benji) and Cindy Cullen (whose mother married Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan). She was soon painting commissions and her career as a full-time artist was on its way.
Today, she paints large-scale portraits of animals from big cats to hummingbirds. She says, “I try to portray the animals with a wildness about them. I do have an appreciation for that energy.” She deftly avoids a tendency in wildlife art to give animals an anthropomorphic flavor. Beneath the young playfulness of Brothers in Arms—Lion Cubs is the power they will grow into as they mature.
Family Tree—Mule Deer with Hummingbirds, oil and silver leaf on canvas, 24 x 24"
When she first moved to Florida, she worked with a friend applying faux finishes, which included metal leaf. “I was still doing wildlife art,” she explains, “and began to think about incorporating silver leaf. In my research I found other artists who were using the technique. Metal leaf in general makes everything different. It adds a different dimension and brings it to life. As the light source changes [it] also changes the appearance of the painting.”
Cat’s Eye View—Leopard, oil and silver leaf on canvas, 60 x 48"
She sketches the outline of her subject on gessoed canvas before applying the silver leaf. She then paints in thin, translucent layers of oil paint allowing the gessoed canvas to provide the whites. When she is inspired to add something to her composition, she applies an area of gesso over the leaf and paints over that.
Entitlement—White Tiger, oil and silver leaf on canvas, 36 x 48"
In some of her paintings, such as Family Tree—Mule Deer with Hummingbirds, she mixes species. “That goes back to my childhood storybooks,” she says. “I’m creating my own Aesop’s Fables.”
Her latest work can be seen in an exhibition at Principle Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, opening with a reception on August 6 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Principle Gallery
125 Meeting Street • Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 727-4500 • www.principlegallery.com
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