LeClaire artist wins 3 wildlife art distinctions

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By Katie Vaughn | Sunday, May 27, 2007 4:08 AM CDT | () comments

LeClaire, Iowa, artist Kreig Jacque won the Iowa Ducks Unlimited Print of the Year honor with this painting featuring three canvasback ducks on a river while another group lands behind them. The prints will be distributed to Ducks Unlimited chapters across the country and auctioned off as fundraisers.(Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES)

LeCLAIRE, Iowa — Kreig Jacque has an unusual and daunting task ahead of him: personally signing 3,500 prints of a river scene he painted last year.

But Jacque, 38, isn’t complaining. The duty is part of winning a high-profile wildlife art competition.

In February, the LeClaire artist found out his piece had been chosen as the Iowa Ducks Unlimited Print of the Year. The painting features three canvasbacks on a river while another group lands behind them. The prints will be distributed to Ducks Unlimited chapters across the country and auctioned off as fundraisers.

The next month, Jacque acquired another accolade when a different painting — featuring a pair of ring-necked pheasants standing in golden-yellow grass — was chosen the winner of the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission’s 2007 Oregon Upland Game Bird Art Contest. The images will be featured on upland bird stamps beginning this fall.

And earlier this month, Jacque received word that an image he had painted of a wood duck was selected Print of the Year for the Idaho chapter of Ducks Unlimited.

While any artist would relish such distinctions, the awards proved particularly meaningful to Jacque, who took the leap to become a full-time artist only three years ago.

A native of Denver, Iowa, he grew up with a love of the outdoors, spending his hours fishing, hunting and hiking. Drawing and painting his experiences became a way he could further enjoy them and share them with others.

But when it came to forging a career, Jacque pushed art to the side and focused on jobs that would provide steady pay, often in management positions with various Quad-City companies.

“Everything was just a job, everything was just a paycheck,” he said.

Eventually, though, Jacque realized he wanted a career that allowed him to use his artistic gift. After discussing it with his schoolteacher wife, Amber — and taking into consideration their four young children — he decided to allow himself five years to make a go of a professional art career.

Three years into the trial run is a good time to win the awards, he said, adding that they help validate his talent and career move.

Having a few awards under his belt also should help him gain a presence in galleries, Jacque said. He shows his artwork at the Marsh & Field Gallery in Davenport and on his Web site at

www.visionsofwildlife.com.

He also attends art shows, enters contests and works with conservation groups that often need artwork for their materials. But the wildlife art world is extremely competitive, he said.

Jacque starts a painting by sketching a thumbnail idea of the composition. If he likes the thumbnail, he sketches the design full-size and in pencil and then in color. Then it’s time to paint.

While most wildlife artists work in watercolor or oil paints, he opts for gouache, an opaque watercolor. It’s a temperamental medium, but it allows him to achieve unique results, he said.

Childhood memories of time spent outdoors often make their way into Jacque’s paintings. He also draws upon photographs of natural scenes, which help him get the colors, lighting and textures right.

“There are so many ways to paint texture and light,” he said. “That’s what attracts me to it.”

It’s crucial to be accurate in wildlife art, Jacque said. He must be careful to depict the correct habitats for the animals he renders because his viewers may take note if an inaccuracy slips by him.

However, Jacque does take a bit of artistic license in structuring his compositions. He finds inspiration everywhere. For instance, when he was thinking about how to paint a scene for the Ducks Unlimited competition, he took his boat out on the Mississippi River.

He caught sight of a striking view behind him and immediately took out his waders and tripod. Standing in the water near Pool 13, he snapped about 50 photographs. After painting that scene as the background, he added three ducks in a triangular arrangement.

Jacque said he’s always on the lookout for new animals and scenes to depict. The possibilities are endless, he added.

“There are too many ways to do it,” he said. “It’s never going to get boring.”

Katie Vaughn can be contacted at (563) 383-2282 or kvaughn@qctimes.com.