2019 Artwork The Day I swam with a bear
Each year, we partner with a local artist who is as inspired by the natural beauty of Jackson Hole as we are to serve as the visual theme for the season.
By Wendell Locke Field
Wendell Locke Field
Artist
Wendell Locke Field
Artist
Wendell Locke Field was born in 1965 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and raised on a dairy farm. It was there on the farm, in the woods and lakes that he began to observe, sketch and develop a deep curiosity and love of the natural world.
Supposing that it shouldn’t be possible to do your life for a living, Wendell graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1987 with a degree in agriculture economics. It didn’t take him long to realize that ignoring his true calling would be his soul’s death.
For the better part of three decades, Field has created art that reflects his deliberately simple life in Jackson Hole while also traveling extensively in Asia, Africa and South America. A profound recognition of spirit is always present in Wendell’s work. His mountains reflect authority, his villages appear as places of soulful refuge and throughout all there is a collective grace.
“It was a hot smoky day last summer when I planned to paint Mt. Moran from between Leek’s Marina and the AMK ranch but it was just too smoky. In the mean time; no one was around, the day was hot, the water warm, the lake calm so I figured I’d go for a skinny dip and cool off. About the time I got in up to my belly button a mama black bear and her cubs trotted out of the woods. No bear spray, no cloths, no place to go but for a swim. I tried a little telepathy to say “no ill will, just going for a swim”. It seemed to work. The mama joined me for a nice long swim and a good drink of water while the cubs played and wrestled on the shore. All the while I was thinking; I’m swimming with a bear! They left, I got out and went down the road and found another painting!”