Whales 2000 Art Show

PIETER FOLKENS

Pieter Folkens is a bio-medical illustrator who is widely respected for his accurate renderings of marine mammals. He is the only artist who has illustrated all extant marine mammal species, plus he has created many restorations of prehistoric cetaceans. Folkens is also famous as a marine mammal morphologist who designed and sculpted animatronic cinematic cetaceans, including George and Gracie in Star Trek IV; the orcas in Free Willy; the dolphins in Sea Quest, White Squall and Flipper; and numerous other projects. He was a founding board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, a lecturer in the Science Communication Program at UC Santa Cruz, and a co-investigator at the National Marine Mammal Lab in Seattle. His research focuses on the feeding ecology of humpback whales, long-term documentation of foraging site tenacity of humpbacks in Southeast Alaska, and reconstruction of Miocene cetaceans and archaeocetes. Folkens is currently working on the National Audubon Field Guide to Marine Mammals of the World (due out fall 2001), another example of his enormous talents as a naturalist and an artist.

PHILIPPE LOPEZ

Philippe Lopez and Bruno Lehoux are environmental sculptors from France whose company, called Whalecraft, is dedicated to producing art that conveys the beauty of natural forms while emphasizing ecological awareness. Using the shape of a life size whale's tail, they create fully functional monumental sculptures, such as the 6x8-foot fiberglass Balaena Bench, as well as giant fluke-shaped fountains for civic squares and swimming pools. Their commitment to ecology includes using low impact manufacturing processes and recycled materials to create their works of art, donating a portion of their profits to environmental organizations, and organizing fundraising events using the Balaena Bench to stimulate community involvement and raise public awareness. These benches have been installed in cities like Hermanus in South Africa, Martinique in the Caribbean, and Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and Beaulieu sur Mer in France. Lopez is currently celebrating Whalecraft's US premiere here at our Conference and giving us an opportunity to enjoy these unusual and beautiful pieces that help protect our oceans while bringing the beauty of the marine world closer to the public.

RANDY PUCKETT 

Randy Puckett is a well-known pioneer in the field of full-scale whale sculpture. THE LEGACY, his life-size bronze sculpture of a breaching gray whale and calf at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California, was the first and only full size bronze of a great whale when it was installed in 1996. At nearly 40 feet, it was the second largest bronze ever cast in the US. Puckett also created the life size gray whales and orcas that grace the Hall of Mammals in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He recently completed a set of 1/60 scale bronze sculptures of great whales, and donated a portion of the proceeds from these and other works to various educational, research and conservation organizations he supports. His work has earned many awards including the John Stoneman Award in 1988 from the Ocean Research Foundation for his "outstanding contributions toward the better understanding and appreciation of the marine environment." Whether the format is large or small, his work consistently demonstrates anatomical precision, a fascination with motion, grace and tactile beauty, and a talent for artistic craftsmanship that is a tribute to the hours of research, personal observation and study that inspires his work.

PAUL RATCLIFFE

Paul Ratcliffe went on an exploratory trip to Baja 21 years ago and became so fascinated with gray whales that now he migrates there every year (along with the whales) to find interesting photo opportunities with these majestic creatures. He has published his photos in numerous international, national and local magazines, and during his spare time he works as a volunteer presenting educational slide shows for schools, organizations, clubs and special events. He soon discovered the beauty of British Columbia with its resident orca pods, and it was not long before he added southeast Alaskan waters to his destinations where he enjoyed the thrill of photographing humpbacks "bubble netting" during their feeding frenzies. He has also photographed whales in Hawaii and the Caribbean and has spent time with the vanishing manatees of Florida. Paul believes that through his work he can bring joy and beauty to others and create a positive influence in the minds of those who see his images. He hopes that they too will learn to appreciate and preserve our natural resources and wild ocean friends.

PAT WEYER 

Pat Weyer taught art in Montreal and Seattle after she received her degrees from the University of Connecticut and Concordia University. She is currently working on a Ph.D. in Art and Marine Biology. Weyer works in a variety of media, including bronze and print, but her main focus is on glass. She specializes in integrating the optic qualities of sand-etched and sand-cast glass with structural elements of welded steel. Most of her work reveals an underwater realm of dappled light, and she likes to explore the expressive power of human and animal figuration. She has produced hand-blown Graal vessels (Graal is a type of decorative glass developed by Orrefors Sweden in 1916) in which the design is carved, engraved, or etched on a parison (a mass of molten colored glass at the end of a blowpipe). It is then reheated, encased in a thick outer layer of transparent glass of a different color, and inflated. Many of her stunning glass vessels are made in the Minoan style of Aegean art, known for its dynamic swirling sea forms, the ones that were favored by King Minos of Crete. Weyer has earned recognition and awards for her talent and craftsmanship, and her work has been installed in private, public and corporate collections throughout the world.

CRAIG WICKHAM

A native of Southern California, Craig Wickham started casting metals as an industrial arts major in 1972. His interests led him to a precision casting curriculum where he mastered the art of lost-wax casting and perfected his talent for jewelry creations. Most of Craig's designs are ocean-oriented, using freshwater pearls, gemstones and gold to accent the beauty of whales and dolphins. His work includes pendants, necklaces, rings, bracelets and other items that have been sold in shops in California and Hawaii. He has participated in the Catalina Festival of the Arts for many years, as well as other juried art shows in Southern California, including the Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica and the Beverly Hills Affair in the Gardens. Craig is also a subcontractor of small sculpture pieces for several Southern California art foundries and various movie studios.

NORBERT WU 

Norbert Wu is a photographer, cinematographer, and writer who specializes in marine issues. He has photographed in nearly every conceivable locale, ranging from the freezing waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, to the coral reefs and jungles of the tropics. His writing and photography have appeared in thousands of books, films, and magazines, including feature articles in Audubon, GEO, International Wildlife, Le Figaro, National Geographic, Omni, and on the covers of GEO, Natural History, Time, and Terre Sauvage. He is the author and photographer of eight books on wildlife and photography, the originator and photographer for several children's book series on the oceans, and his photographic library of marine and topside wildlife is one of the most comprehensive in the world. His background includes degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering from Stanford and doctoral studies at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is an independent photographer and filmmaker who is committed to ocean exploration, research and conservation. His recent films include an HDTV (high-definition television) program on Antarctica's underwater world for PBS Nature, and he has received numerous awards, including the Antarctica Service Medal of the United States of America for his contributions to exploration and science in the U.S. Antarctic Program.