Artist Profile - Duane Geisness
Professional fine artist Duane Geisness canoes through the Canadian wilderness, backpacks the trails of the Bighorn in Wyoming, and with his loyal Eskimo dog beside him, explores the Wisconsin north woods. Duane feels that this is all a part of the process involved in portraying the truths of nature.
He says, "I believe working in the field gathering photo references and doing quick sketches are essential steps in the painting process, and probably the most enjoyable. The creative possibilities seem endless while wandering through the countryside with a camera in hand. The real work, though, begins back at my studio in St, Charles, Illinois."
Duane Geisness was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Still, it was on family trips to his grandparent's farm in northern Wisconsin that he became aquatinted with the beauty of Wildlife and decided to make it the subject of his work.
Duane graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where he became proficient in acrylics and watercolor. He has shared the spotlight with some of the world's leading wildlife artists, including Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, and John Seerey-Lester.
His painting "Winter Lullaby" toured the United States in the prestigious "Wildlife: The Artist's View" tour. The tour included The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, the Center for the Arts in Vero Beach, Florida, and The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
The Bradford Exchange created a highly successful plate series entitled "Peace on Earth." There are more than 60,000 plates in circulation!
In keeping with his desire to support wildlife conservation efforts, Duane donated prints to the Yellowstone Association Wolf Research Fund in Wyoming. This organization reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National as part of their preservation efforts.
In addition, the National Wildlife Federation published Christmas cards with a series of Duane's paintings. The sense of peace and serenity evident in much of his work is enjoyed and loved by many collectors.
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Duane's new series of paintings, "Jewels of the Sea™," came about from a trip he made to Maui.
"I always loved painting wildlife, but it was on this trip that I received the inspiration to paint marine animals," says Duane. "I noticed the jewel-like water in Maui and the way light affected it. I thought to myself, that is the quality I would love to capture in my paintings of these beautiful marine animals in their natural environment. When I returned home to my studio, I began what turned out to be a year of experimenting with all kinds of mediums. I knew I wanted a jewel-like quality to my paintings and tried everything I could think of to achieve this."
After much trial and error, Duane developed a unique technique that creates the sparkling light of a fine jewel. "I believe I achieved what I set out to do," Duane continues.
His artwork portrays beautiful aquatic Wildlife in a stunning and stirring new way that will inspire the casual observer and the discriminating collector.
For more information, contact Duane directly at: