At the end of the day, each student was able to add their own artistic touch in completing a painting of a duck in its natural habitat – they all signed the painting as well. In all, everyone involved – students, parents, teachers and artists – had a wonderful and inspiring day!

A very special thanks to the program’s sponsor, South Carolina Ducks Unlimited!

These final stages in the painting process are focused mainly on refining all of the elements and making sure that everything within the painting works together as a whole.

FINISHED PAINTING: Total time to complete, 55hrs

Moose Pond will be available for purchase ($7,500) during SEWE.

“I sculpt because I enjoy the challenge of manipulating space; I choose birds as my subject matter because they fascinate me to no end.” remarks Rambadt. Using the bird as a point of departure, Don explores the relationship of positive and negative space and manipulates this interplay in mixed metals to give the impression of life and movement.  “My favorite subjects have always been birds, and I gravitate towards different families or species depending on my mood and what type of composition I’m working with at the time.  If I’m doing something really dynamic, Barn Swallows are usual the birds I turn to.  Their seemingly playful interactions and mastery of the air gives me a great deal of freedom when creating a bold, ‘action packed’ design.  When I choose to make a more subtle, contemplative piece, I usually go with a raptor. They always seem to have a lot going on behind their eyes, even when they’re at rest.”

Don’s work, although somewhat abstract, is based on anatomical accuracy, “I feel you should have an intimate understanding of your subject matter before you attempt to abstract it. This gives you the freedom to select which characteristics to emphasize, or de-emphasize, in order to create a certain feeling in the piece.”

Rambadt’s self-described  “sketching in space” style transforms from idea to metal masterpieces in his 1400 square foot pole barn in Southeastern Wisconsin. The studio and his home are located on 350 acres of State Wildlife Area – ideal for Rambadt, his wife Debbie, and two dogs to scout for wetland birds.

In addition to his professional experience as a sculptor, artisan, and teacher, Don has volunteered with several organizations that have given him unique, hands-on experience with birds, including volunteering with the Wisconsin Peregrine Society to band young falcons and at the Milwaukee Public Museum as an avian taxidermist. Don is a member of the Society of Animal Artists, Artist for Conservation Foundation, and the North American Falconers Association.

Now in his 13^th year at SEWE and the Featured Sculptor, Rambadt expressed “The caliber of work exhibited at the show has always been top-notch, so it was a real honor to be chosen to share the spotlight with Dustin [Van Wechel].”

Day 3 – Completing the Background
Now that the majority of the painting has been blocked in, I make a push to finish the background. I often set goals for completion of certain parts of a painting, especially if I’m under a deadline. Day 3 was to fully complete the background.

Completing the Background

Day 3 – Background Finished
It feels good to reach my goal. Tomorrow I focus on the moose.

Background Finished

Using the largest brushes I’m comfortable with, I continue filling in areas with color

Day 2 – Refining and Moving Around the Canvas

At this point, I’ve begun bouncing around the canvas, refining, blocking in more, doing all I can to keep from getting bored from the monotony of covering a large canvas.

Day 2 – Nearly Finished with the Blocking In Stage

This is where things get interesting for me. Once the canvas is completely covered, I begin dialing in the colors, refining the elements within the painting, and most fun of of all, applying thick, rich paint.

Total time thus far, about 17 hrs.

More to come!

Day 1 - The Blank Canvas

In starting any painting, I first wash a thin layer of color over the entire canvas which serves to create a unifying ground and preps the surface for paint. In this case, I’ve used a thin, warm sepia color. I applied this color a few days earlier to insure it’s dry before I begin the painting.

Day 1 - The Sketch

I begin each of my paintings by doing a simple sketch with paint directly on the canvas. I don’t typically draw everything out, instead, I sketch in just the most necessary ‘landmarks’. This gives me the most freedom while painting to make changes. If I have the entire painting already drawn out in pencil, there’s a tendency to just fill in the color and not continue to make choices that might improve the painting as I work.

Day 1 - Blocking In

Once the sketch is complete, I then begin blocking in color. My process usually moves back to front, top to bottom, as I’m doing here. I also first paint in the darkest parts of any area I’m working on.

Day 1: Continuing to Block In Color

Total painting time for Day 1, 8hrs

Stay tuned for Day 2 . . . .

Seafood Papaya Salad with Papaya Dressing Cookbook

Seafood Papaya Salad with Papaya Dressing

Recipe from Artful Entertaining, the Official SEWE Cookbook. Recipe submitted by VIP Benefactor, Barbara Scott.

-14 to 16 ounces torn salad greens

-2 large papayas, peeled, chopped

-1 large pineapple, peeled, chopped

-1 1/2 pounds peeled cooked shrimp

-1 pound lump crab meat, drained

-4 to 6 small lobsters, cooked, peeled, sliced

-1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

-Papaya Dressing (see below)

-Sliced star fruit, sliced oranges, sliced watermelon, sliced peeled kiwifruit, sliced strawberries and sliced pineapple.

Directions:

-Arrange the salad greens on large salad plates. Layer the papayas, chopped pineapple, shrimp, crab meat and lobsters over the greens.

-Sprinkle with the almonds and drizzle with dressing just before serving.

-Top with sliced fruit.

Papaya Dressing

-1/3 cup tarragon or white wine vinegar

-1 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

-1 tablespoon lime juice

-3 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

-1 small garlic clove, crushed

-3 tablespoons minced onion

-2 to 3 tablespoons papaya seeds

Directions:

-Process the vinegar, oil, lime juice, sugar, salt, dry mustard, garlic, onion and papaya seeds until seeds are course.

-Pour into container. Chill, covered, until serving time.