Top Ten North American Realist Wildlife Artists

This piece is by yours truly.

Who are the top 10 wildlife artist?

That could vary depending on the person. We all have a preferred style of art that we enjoy.  I enjoy realism and good impressionism, and I also enjoy many genres, from still life, landscapes, to wildlife art.  I mean, what artist did not start out in awe of some of the best wildlife artists out there?  Many have inspired me, and still do.  I routinely discover new artists and am forever amazed at the scope of talent out there.  In this blog post, I narrow down my list to ten, but believe me, I could probably put down at least fifty.

This list is arranged in no particular order, meaning not alphabetically, nor in order of my favourites.  They're just randomly listed.  Copyright of the photos listed are of the respective artists, and links to their sites are provided under each photo. I tried to find videos showcasing their art whenever I could, otherwise I hope they don't mind I shared their paintings along with their websites. Enjoy!

1.  Robert Bateman 

Being Canadian myself, how could I not start with him?  He is a master.  Treated poorly by the hoity toity in the Canadian gallery and art culture, any skilled artist must recognize his talent as well as contribution to the genre.  Hoity toity up-turned nose artsy fartsy crowd be darned, because, darn, he is good!  He is adept at giving an illusion of detail without painting in too much detail, and the way he paints mist and muted light makes this girl's heart sign.  It is my strong belief that Robert Bateman is a living national treasure. Hail the king!

2.  Michael Dumas

Yep, another canuck.  What can I say? There's a lot of talent up here, you know.  Must be those long cold winters that force us inside our studios to paint away the long winter nights.  

Anyway, this guy, yes this guy, inspires me to paint birds all the time.  Nobody has inspired me to paint birds as much as he.  Just like Robert Bateman, he has a way with light that is just magical. I can get lost for hours just staring at his work.  Get lost in this one . . .

Influx:  Sparrows in the Louvre ©Michael Dumas

3.  Terry Isaac

Oops.  I lied.  Terry Isaac also inspires me to paint birds.  He doesn't only paint birds though.  He has a huge range of wildlife paintings, from bears to foxes, to tigers.  He is also a master at painting light and atmosphere.  I can quickly get bored of technically correct paintings which are very realistic and detailed, but when you have artists such as Terry painting atmosphere and light, you can never, ever get bored looking at their art.  His paintings just take your breath away.  

Spring Song - Terry Isaac ©

Since waiting this post, Terry passed away.  This is a great loss to the art world and he will be greatly missed.  We are fortunate he was able to share his talent with the world.  RIP Terry. 

4.  Carl Brenders

Can anyone write a post about wildlife artists and not write about  another master?  Mr. Brenders and continues to inspire aspiring wildlife artist the world over.  I don't think there's a wildlife artist out there who hasn't been inspired by Carl Brenders.

Island Shores by Carl Brenders

5.  Eric Wilson

Eric Wilson is another incredible artist that has inspired countless budding artists to take up wildlife art as well as pastels.  The realism and atmosphere he achieves with his highly skilled works leave me in awe.  I mean, just look at how freaking amazing these pieces are!

6.  Rose Tanner

I first came across Rose Tanner's beautiful birds last year on Instagram and instantly fell in love with her art.  She paints loose and her paintings are simpler, but she definitely knows how to paint a bird! I love her use of colour as as light.  She's also Canadian, and female!  It's so nice to see more women painting wildlife art.  I wish I could list them all because there are so many! Her website --->Rose Tanner

                                                    Copyright Rose Tanner                                                          

7.  Christophe Drochon

About 12 years ago, I had purchased an edition of Wildlife Art Magazine and Christophe Drochon was a featured artist.  I can't tell you how awe struck I was with his brilliantly executed paintings.  He made you get up close and personal with his subjects, which were often painted in dramatic light.  He has been one of my largest inspirations in the wildlife art genre, and still influences my style greatly.  I consider him a living master.   I'm posting a photo of his book below, which I ran out to buy after I'd seen the magazine spread.  I still love this book.  You can visit his website to view his amazing works here ---->  http://www.drochon.com

 8.  Greg Beecham

Because, who hasn't been inspired by Greg Beecham?  No words needed here.  And you can see more here ----> http://gbeecham.work

9.  Denis Mayer Jr.

Denis Mayer Jr. is a highly collected Canadian wildlife artist who has been featured in many magazines and has even designed for the Royal Canadian Mint.  He is highly skilled and has another wonderful talent that he shares with his fans:  he sings! Yes, he is also an acclaimed singer and you can watch him sing on Youtube.  Have a look here at a small sample of his art.  For more, you can visit his website here -----> http://www.denismayerjr.com

10.  George Mclean

George is yet another Canadian artist (Aren't we awesome? ??) that is internationally renown and collected.  He also has a talent of high caliber, just like Bateman, and is highly esteemed by wildlife artists everywhere. 

 George Mclean

I hope you enjoyed this list of artists I admire.  I really could have written a top 50 if not more had I written about every single animal artist that ever made my jaw drop in admiration. Seriously, it seems the more I look, the more I discover, and the internet and social media has opened up such an amazing world of art.  Artists, especially younger artists, seem to be more and more talented.  The bar is high by friends, very high.  Looking at such wonderful artists only makes me want to learn more about my craft and keep improving, and that, should be the goal of every artist. Thanks for reading all the way to this point, and do you have a favourite wildlife artist not mentioned here?  Feel free to comment.