Eugenia Talbot
I grew up in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and received a BFA from Mississippi State College for Women, “The W”. I undertook advanced studies in art after graduating and traveling abroad. When my sons were young, I worked as a designer and bred Arabian horses, always longing to return to painting. After my sons were in school, I was invited to join a group of writers and nature photographers on a trip to Churchill, Manitoba in the Canadian Arctic. I fell in love with Polar Bears and Muskox and the Inuit people and spent twelve remarkable years commuting from my farm in Mississippi to Canada as a wildlife painter, illustrator, writer, and assisted in filming several documentaries that crisscrossed the Canadian Arctic all the way to Ellesmere Island. “Being in the field”, a must for me to know my subjects, I chose the frozen tundra and ice.
In Mississippi I worked with Cedarhill Animal Sanctury which allowed close contact with big cats that became a major part of my work. From my experience of animal rescue and working with Fish and Wildlife Services in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, I wrote a book about the plight of exotic animals caught in the hell of the exotic pet trade.
Eventually my love of the Southwest took me to New Mexico where I explored pueblos and spent time in Zuni. While there, I met a group of young artists who had opened a manufacturing company. Their cabinets and furniture were beautifully made and some adorned with hand-painted panels. A few of artists wanted to paint cougars but had ever seen the cat in the wild, so on my next trip to New Mexico I brought photographs, a cougar skull, and fur to help them depict this animal.
I lived in Southern Oregon and explored the beauty of the west coast for many years. With Oregon becoming a wine destination I created wine labels for some of my vineyard friends. From there my path then led to Arizona, where I opened a studio and returned to painting my beloved equine and western subjects.
As a figurative painter, my art reflects travel and the people I have met along the way. Studying animals in the wild and experiencing what makes them unique has been a gift. I work in oil, watercolor, graphite, and sculpt.
After years of being away from my family and the deep south, I am happy to call Tennessee home and look forward to my membership with the Memphis Germantown Art League and Artists’ Link, where I hope to meet and associate with artists in this area.
