~ The Artist’s Journey ~  

"It’s a good life, searching the earth for its beauty and then painting it." 

There are a lot of things I love to do. I teach, mostly about art and nature. I am a naturalist. I love to design. Performing and writing music is a particular passion. But the one thing I MUST do is paint. And with few exceptions, I paint the earth, and the beauty I see in its mystery.

I am drawn to the Mystery. I study nature. It has been a lifelong pursuit.  While a student at the University of Minnesota, I spent my summers as  the Park Naturalist in one of Minnesota’s wonderful State Parks.

My artistic soul began to emerge as I started drawing plants and flowers for my field notes. The more I drew, the more the beauty of form began to fascinate me. My  quest emerged, becoming the basis for my growth as an artist.

I moved from the Midwest to the cultural Mecca of Santa Fe, New Mexico where my artistic nature blossomed. I had the great fortune of meeting A.D. Greer, a legendary painter of the earth, and soon was developing under Greer's guidance. The Luminist nature of my work found expression. I became driven to paint the land. I started a literal artistic journey. I began traveling and painting . . traveling on a quest to understand the power and nature of Beauty..

Some of America's most powerful forms are enshrined in our National Parks. I was drawn as both a naturalist and an artist to the wonders of the National Parks. I deepened my sense of understanding the nature of the earth and its form, through drawing and painting, writing and poetry, writing and playing  original music.  I founded the National Parks Touring Artists Program in partnership with the National Park Service. I conducted hundreds of classes with Park Visitors as the Artist-In-Residence in Yellowstone, Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands and Redwoods. The program directly touched over one million park visitors.

I  now have my studio in San Diego. It is a paradise of wonder. I am currently developing the “Neighborhood Naturalists Program", a regional plan to incorporate nature education into the community through education and public involvement.

I thank all of you who have supported my quest. I am thankful to my collectors from around the world who have contributed to making some of my finest work centerpieces in private and corporate collections.

I paint from my soul, the land I see, and the spirit of the land I love. To me . . .  “The Path is Beauty.” 

"Toward this I seek the vision".

Sidney Wildesmith