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“Within a few weeks the golden leaves of the aspen trees will have fallen,” says artist Rod Frederick, “but at this very second this bull moose has stumbled into a magical moment with his lovely lady. Autumn is my favorite season of the year, when the leaves begin to change and the large ungulates —the elk, deer and moose — try to take care of all the things they need to do before the long winter arrives.
“The scene shown here exists in no particular place, but is in fact a composite of several locations from Alaska to Wyoming and Montana. These hardy spruce and fir trees have seen quite a lot of snow, but they’ve been around long enough to see that spring is never very far away . . . except in Alaska.”
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The serene outdoors seem at odds with the wild and crazy character of this
artist, who is as famous for his paintings as he is for his sense of humor and
gaudy shirts! If seen on his constant excursions into the wilds, many a
collector would tell of an eccentric pirate come to life, only this
swashbuckling, seemingly fearless explorer was more anxious to gain and share
the treasure of knowledge rather than riches.
"I grew up in a house full of pets," he says. "My mom had a degree in fine
arts
and although my dad was a lawyer, he was a weekend painter." So his love of
animals and art was sown early (also inspired when he received a gift of Roger
Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds) and he attended Willamette
University
with a major in art and a minor in biology. "So I could know my subjects
outside and in," he says. He put that education to good use as he embarked on
a
fine art career that would allow him to do what he enjoyed most; explore and
learn.
Frederick built his house in the middle of the Oregon wilderness and filled it
with birds and animals. He’s hiked and camped in mountains and forests
throughout the northwest U.S., Central America and East Africa. He knows the
lakes and mountains as well as he knows the plains and deserts, not to mention
almost all the creatures who live there, from the smallest bird to the largest
elephant. And he will paint them on whatever size canvas suits them best. In
addition to his peaceful views of animals in their natural habitats, he is
also
known for his paintings’ many different sizes and shapes—each chosen to best
suit his perfectly balanced images of wildlife and wilderness.
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