Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Blog (via Mowser)

Northern pike do not have antlers for which I am very grateful.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 4 comments link this post

My latest foray at the Carnegie Library in Devils Lake netted me Neil Postman's infamous book, a book by P.J. O'Rourke, and a book called The Book of Sea Monsters by Bob Eggleton and Nigel Suckling. Eggleton's art is sublime, the sea monsters and dragons absolutely drawing me in.

It was this fabulous art that has drawn me dangerously close to the lure of wildlife art. Let me explain.

During a time when I had art displayed and for sale, and therefore helped work at a co-op gallery, I had the opportunity to see that my theory on selling art in this region was correct. I theorized that art had to have an antlered animal in it, a black lab, a couple of flying ducks, or a cozy cabin in it in order to sell here. The majority of art I've sold has been out-of-state. You'll notice a serious lack of antlered animals in my art, and that is why the high proliferation of out-of-state out-of-country sales. During one of my days of work at the gallery, a woman and her mom came in and proceeded to comment on nearly all of the landscape paintings and photographs that they were "beautiful" but wouldn't they be perfect if there was a deer in there somewhere?

No. Deer eat shrubbery. Lyme disease. $2700 in damage to cars. No.

But this book on sea monsters got me to thinking about fishing, something I love to do as long as I don't have to eat the fish. Northern pike are like monsters, a seriously creepy fish that looks like it might kill if it had the chance.

Luckily for me and my art integrity, there are no antlers on northern pike. And so, over on my art and writing blog, you can check out the northern pike painting I'm working on which, despite being a wildlife painting, does not have the photo-realistic look and setting that people seem to want from wildlife art, making me all that much more assured that I am not yet producing bona fide antler art because no one will actually buy it.

It's OK. I'll still be in the poor house, fish painting and all. I still feel like the art purist. I remain safe in my condescension.

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| tag: art |

Labels: art

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4 Comments:

Nothing like a big northern grabbin your hook! I like fish so I've learned to bone out northerns. I like them deep fried in shore lunch batter. TASTY!

By robbie, at 15/5/06 10:52

I have it on good authority that including antlers, ducks and black labs could someday lead to a huge art gallery with your name on it in Hampden ND.

Could happen.

By Gene, at 15/5/06 11:57

That's what the world needs, is more deer art.

If I were to do a series of paintings that involved antlers, I might consider the jackalope. Now that's something to think about.

By Julie, at 15/5/06 17:40

I caught a northern pike while in a boat with my uncle (who's fantastically good with such things) and my 5-year-old son (for whom it was all new).

It was small for a pike, but probably the biggest fish I've ever caught.

It gave my son nightmares. I think he's had three total nightmares in his life, but that long, toothy snout really got to him.

They *are* monsters, you're right.

By Brian, at 16/5/06 09:12

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