Recent Images from the National Bison Range

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Spring is one of my favorite times of year to photograph Bison. I look forward to visiting the National Bison Range in Montana to capture them at their best. Most animals in the Springtime can look a bit mangy as they begin to shed their thick winter coats. Buffalo however (in my humble opinion) look amazing as they begin the molting process and big clumps and patches of hair cling to their bodies. A bit of Spring coloring and the beautiful Mission Mountains as a backdrop make for some of the best reference images a wildlife artist can hope for.

The range almost always provides a variety of animals to photograph such as elk, mule deer, whitetail deer,  pronghorn, black bear, coyote and various birds. Below are some of the images I captured in an evening at the Bison Range along with some bighorn sheep I came across the same day just outside Thompson Falls, MT…


 Bison Range 4 Bison Range 5

Bison Range 6 Bison Range 7

Bison Range Birds 1 Bison Range calf 1 Coyote at Bison Range 2 Coyote at Bison Range1 IMG_5317Bison Range 3 Bison Range1Bighorn 3

“Offending the Ladies”

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Sometimes a painting is just meant to be. Inspired by time spent in Yellowstone National Park last year “Offending the Ladies” was just that for me. I spent much of a hot afternoon in the sun watching a number of cow elk bedded down in the cooler grass on the banks of the Madison river with the herd bull near by. The lowering of the sun is a sign for the bull to round-up the troops and make preparations for the evening, which start with moving everyone to another location. With the gentleness of a drill sergeant, he proceeds to wake up and get moving all the resting cows and calves with a loud bugle, nudge and at times for the stubborn ones a bit of a charge. You can imagine his popularity as the ‘women’ scatter.

So, what tops being in Yellowstone, on the Madison river witnessing firsthand all of this unfold?…All of it happening while the sun is going down creating a glowing golden light on everything it touches. Even as my camera shutter is on overdrive all I can think is “Get me to a canvas!”

“Offending the Ladies” Oil 21×48 will be included in “The Russell” sale to benefit the C.M. Russell Museum at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls, MT. March 16th.

Offending the Ladies web

“Offending the Ladies” oil on masonite 21×48

“Keeping Pace”

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“Keeping Pace” will be included in the “Off the Wall” sale at the “Western Masters Show and Sale” in Great Falls, MT. March 15th.

Oil on masonite 21x48

Oil on masonite 21×48

Composition and Dynamic Symmetry

Posted by joekronenberg on

Along the trail of learning in the art world we at some point have to accept the fact that composition is a crucial element to a complete painting process. This was a subject I put off learning for some time. I was probably like the new music student learning the notes to play an instrument who says to his instructor “Do I have to learn all of this? Can’t you just teach me to play a song?”. I just wanted to paint. Composition and color theory and all that stuff seemed like such a boor! But as musical notes give the musician freedom to play and create beautiful sounds so does composition add to the painter’s ability to successfully express on canvas with the bonus of engaging and leading the viewer.

Whether using a basic “L” or “S” shape or a bit more complex application, I am convinced that any path to follow is better than none at all. I can highly recommend a book by Ian Roberts, “Mastering Composition” for an in-depth introduction. I am a big fan of structure and processes and Ian does a fantastic job of cleanly laying out information in a way that allows you to memorize the concepts.

Of the many available tools to composing I have used one more than any other. A method that utilizes the golden mean called Dynamic Symmetry. The golden mean was used by the ancient Greeks in art and architecture and can be found everywhere in nature, even our own bodies. It is said to be the most appealing mathematical division of form and is calculated using a 1 to 1.618 ratio on any length of distance. For example a canvas of a 20″ width would have a golden mean vertically at 12.36″ (20/1.618). If the canvas was also 10″ high the horizontal golden mean would be 6.18″ (10/1.618). The “sweet spot” of a painting is said to be where these vertical and horizontal lines intersect one another.

As with many things the introduction of one concept or idea often leads to others. In this case the discovery of the golden mean lead me straight to Dynamic Symmetry. Using the same 1 to 1.618 ratio it also divides the canvas into multiple useful sections as shown in the below example.

Example of Dynamic Symmetry. To do this yourself first find the ratio of 1:1.618. Next I have color coded the lines to allow us to put them in the proper order. At the measured distance of 1:1.618 lay in the light blue line. Next the orange, yellow, green, blue and red. If done correctly your series of lines should look just like mine. (No, you don’t have to do them in color) The smallest rectangle is your “sweet spot” and the other lines can be used with your composition.

This method has been used successfully by many artists from Da Vinci to the father of wildlife painting Carl Rungius. I have done a layover to one of my paintings, “The Playground” to better demonstrate Dynamic Symmetry in action.

“The Playground” by Joe Kronenberg with Dynamic Symmetry layover.

Though I was unable to get a wolf’s head completely into the sweet spot, all four heads surround it. Notice also the eyes of the black wolf are on one of the lines. The diagonal line on the left separates the black wolf with the white wolf next to it. The wolf stepping on the rock is almost completely enclosed into one of the triangles with its leg on the right following the angle of one of the lines while the leg on the left lies directly at the golden mean line. Also notice how the black wolf is almost completely enclosed in the inverted triangle created by the diagonal and the line at its eye. And finally, I was able to structure the entire painting on the larger triangle created by the two angled lines. Triangles have been used as armatures for centuries having a fantastic visual appeal.

You can probably tell I have embraced and even gotten excited about compositions. Like that music student when he decided the real freedom lied in learning to read notes, I can now better express on canvas. There are those who argue this golden mean idea is nonsense and makes little difference where the viewer is concerned. I can’t say I agree, but the truth is, I don’t really know. What I do know is at the very least compositional tools give the artist structure. With structure comes peace of mind and confidence in your painting process.

Until next time…

Kronenberg Spotlight: Scott Waddell, a world class artist and instructor…

Posted by joekronenberg on

About this time last year I was actively researching workshops and instructors. Being a self taught/educated artist  this was somewhat new territory for me. As a wildlife artist I have been able to learn most of what I know and use on my own through books, the internet and close study and observation of paintings of other artists. So, why was I looking into workshops now?  I know that everyone is aware of the human form. Artist or otherwise we are all people experts to a degree. A child can tell if a painting of a person looks off, or not correct even if he/she has little artistic inclinations. Why? Because recognition of features is how we tell one another apart and that ability starts to develop before we can talk or walk. It is because of this I feel many artists are turned off or intimidated by painting people. It is also because of this paintings of people are more heavily scrutinized by the observer. So, in desiring to  accurately paint the human figure I was committed to learning to do it only from the best.

I’ll save the details of my twist of fate journey to get there for a future post, but as I researched and discovered classically trained artists to study with I narrowed it down to Scott Waddell. After viewing his “webisodes” on YouTube, visiting his website and blog I decided to book my flight to spend two weeks studying with him at the world famous Grand Central Academy of Art in New York City.

Originally from Florida, Scott received his BFA from Florida State University, then spent time studying with Douglas Flynt (another brilliant painter) before leaving Florida to enroll in the Florence Academy. He later returned to the states where he enrolled at Waterstreet Atelier (Now Grand Central Academy of Art) under the one of the best, Jacob Collins. After completing his education there, he was asked to stay on as one of GCA’s instructors where he continues to educate today.

Those two weeks with Scott have redirected my path in painting. I had never encountered anyone with his level of knowledge, coupled with the gift of great communication and instruction. From anatomy to the physics of light on form to color theory to drawing method to modeling form, there was not a single area he was not able to advance my knowledge. This coupled with his demeanor and clear desire to transfer the information in his head to his student’s made the entire experience unforgettable.

Portrait in progress by Scott Waddell

If you ever have the opportunity to study with Scott I highly recommend you jump at the chance. If, however that is not an option, the next best thing would be to view his webisodes on YouTube or better yet, visit his website www.waddellfinearts.com to download full-length videos on portrait, the figure and his newly released video on painting the still life, which includes forty minutes of bonus video with commentary. Subscribe to his blog while you’re at it to keep informed on future workshops and videos at scottssketchbook.blogspot.com.

“Steven” 11×14 by Scott Waddell