Research_Content Page_Snapshot October 2023

Snapshot Wisconsin October 2023

Happy Arts and Humanities Month, Wisconsin! Recently, Snapshot Wisconsin images have been used in a different way: inspiring artwork! This past summer, the Snapshot Wisconsin team presented at two art workshops that connected communities with wildlife, art and science. 

To continue the celebration, the Snapshot team made a call out to volunteers to share their art, and wow, we are impressed with our volunteer's creativity! We received many beautiful and unique pieces in many different mediums: books, woodcarvings, felt, metal sculptures, drawings and digital. We compiled them in this newsletter for all to admire. 

We hope you feel inspired to go out and explore your artistic side, not only during Art Month but any time of the year! 

 

A sketch of a deer, using a grid framework to get the proportions right.

Snapshot Contributes to Art Workshops

Snapshot is celebrating the wonder of Wisconsin wildlife through art by presenting at art workshops around the state!

 

 

Digital art of a wolf in the forest during winter.

Volunteer Submissions: Creating Art Inspired by Snapshot

We are blown away by Snapshot volunteers' creativity! Inspired by Snapshot trail camera images, these volunteers created some unique artwork, from digital art to metal sculptures.

 

 

A moose walks through a green forest in Wisconsin, captured by a trail camera.

Rare Species Sighting!

Long legs, brown fur, eats both land and aquatic vegetation...what rare Wisconsin species did a Snapshot Wisconsin camera capture this summer?

 

 

A bobcat on the Snapshot banner

Snapshot Contributes to Art Workshops

October is Arts and Humanities Month in Wisconsin. This month is a time for Wisconsinites to support and participate in the arts, and Snapshot Wisconsin is happy to participate! 

Art and science have a rich, interconnected past. Many scientists throughout history captured their observations through sketches and paintings, such as inventor and painter Leonardo da Vinci and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian. Plenty of famous naturalists were also skilled poets and writers, such as Beatrix Potter and Wisconsin's own Aldo Leopold. While Snapshot Wisconsin works to collect data and support wildlife management science, it also produces millions of striking photos of wildlife, inspiring many members of the Snapshot community to exercise their creative senses and connect artistically with the outdoors. 

Read on to learn about how Snapshot is celebrating the wonder of Wisconsin wildlife through art!

Art in the Northwoods

In July 2023, Snapshot staff joined the Warehouse Community Arts Center in Eagle River, Wisconsin, to host the workshop "Seeing the Northwoods: Wisconsin Wildlife." The families in attendance learned about Snapshot Wisconsin and how they can participate, either by hosting a trail camera or by classifying photos on Zooniverse. Snapshot staff member Marie Jensen said, "Although it was a virtual event, everyone was excited to ask questions and shout out answers when we asked for audience participation. It was great to see youth excited and curious about the natural world."

Inspired by the Snapshot photos and the wildlife seen in their area, the kids began to create wildlife art of their own! Egg cartons were used to create the "snout" of animals such as deer and raccoons, but one of the most popular wildlife species to depict was the red fox. Snapshot also provided a coloring sheet that invited participants to imagine what they might see if they were a trail camera. This coloring sheet, along with more activities for all ages, is available on the Snapshot in the Classroom webpage. Everybody enjoyed the workshop, and the Snapshot Wisconsin team hopes to continue showing families how they can connect wildlife with their artistic side.

A picture of a fox drawing created by kids in a classroom and a picture with a kid drawing a deer from a Snapshot Wisconsin photo.
Photos courtesy Donna Murphy, executive director of the Warehouse Community Arts Center in Eagle River, WI.

Learning to Draw Wildlife

In August 2023, Snapshot Wisconsin participated in a workshop hosted by the Wisconsin Center for Wildlife (WCW), an extension organization within the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The mission of the WCW is to engage the public in sustainable wildlife management through research, education and outreach. Jennifer Summers, the Program Development Specialist for WCW, recognized that there is a considerable overlap between people interested in art and people interested in nature and wildlife. Summers created a workshop that combined elements of both, using Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera images for inspiration.

A side-by-side comparison with a Elk photo in the forest and a watercolor art piece created by Jennifer Summers with an Elk in the forest.
An ink and watercolor piece by Jennifer Summers, created using a Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera photo as reference. Courtesy Jennifer Summers.

The Snapshot Wisconsin team was interested to learn more about Summers and how she was inspired to create a first-of-its-kind workshop at UW-Stevens Point. Summers has a strong artistic background stemming from studying art in college and careers that ranged from a graphics director for screen printing to a tattoo artist. While developing her portfolio, which often had a wildlife focus on deer or elk, she wanted to put the animals in a realistic setting. "I would ask myself questions such as, does it make sense for a deer to have antlers at this time of year or to be in a particular environment?" Summers said. To inform her drawings, Summers began spending more and more time reading about wildlife ecology, which ultimately led her to shift career paths and attend UW-Stevens Point to receive her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and M.S. in Natural Resources.

A sketch of a deer, using a grid framework to get the proportions right.
A wildlife drawing by a UWSP art workshop participant using a Snapshot image.

For this unique workshop, various participants attended, including art students, community members and UW-Stevens Point staff members, all with an assortment of backgrounds and interests. To start the workshop, Taylor Peltier, Snapshot Wisconsin Research Scientist and Operations Manager, introduced Snapshot Wisconsin to the audience and showed them how to participate in the program, either by hosting a trail camera or classifying photos on Zooniverse. From there, Summers guided the group through different drawing exercises using Snapshot Wisconsin photos as references, such as using a grid to help the artists replicate the animals with proper proportions.

Summers received wonderful feedback from the wildlife-inspired art workshop and hopes to continue hosting similar events in the future. "Art is a great way to engage people in learning about wildlife because when you are drawing or painting an animal, you are studying and interacting with that animal in a way you wouldn't otherwise," she said.

Summers encourages anyone who is hoping to explore their artistic side to understand that drawing is a skill that needs to be practiced and learned just like everything else. She emphasized the importance of getting over the initial jitters of trying to create a pretty picture and focusing on the process instead. When learning to draw wildlife in particular, Summers suggests, "Start with a photo. It can be a great way to break things down and learn more about the animal."

 

Snapshot Banner Bucks sparring

Snapshot Volunteer Artwork

The Snapshot Wisconsin team sent out a call for volunteer art submissions. The deadline to submit artwork was September 30. Submissions could be of any artistic medium and showcase Wisconsin wildlife or outdoor scenes inspired by Snapshot Wisconsin trail camera images, whether it was a drawing, wood carving, digital art or a piece of pottery. The Snapshot Wisconsin team is pleased to present to you the submission from some of our extraordinarily talented volunteers! 

Four paintings on wood slices. One with a purple flower. Another one with a white owl. Then, a wood slice with a painting of a baby turtle underwater and one wood slice with a doe.
Amy Bazile painted wood slices and placed them along trails in the woods for people to see. The painted satellite dish is one of many she has painted and decorated a fence line with.
An image of a wood carving of a moose in the forest.
A beautiful wood carving of a moose by SwampEye.
An image of a digital collage art piece with several wildlife: two deer, a turkey, a bear and a racoon.
Colleen Flynn created this digital collage of wildlife, some images from her Snapshot camera.
An image of a Knitted red fox scarf, mittens and a headband.
Connie Stuempges knitted this creative fox neck scarf, mittens, and headband set for her daughter.
Three art drawings of three different trees using pencil.
D.F. Dahlstrom used trees as inspirations for these three pencil drawings.
An image of a Campfire and S'mores 3D clay project.
A 3D clay project designed by Itzela Phillips, ten years old. Itzela is an outdoor Wisconsin girl who loves her campfires and s'mores while she is camping. This spring, she planted her pine tree sponsored by the DNR for fourth graders.
A image a book cover for "Kishwauketoe: A Nature Conservancy for the Children of Tomorrow" book. Shows images of both Authors, a bird and wildflowers.
By James Killian and Jen Schildgen, Kishwauketoe: A Nature Conservancy for the Children of Tomorrow details the history of a property in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, which is now occupied by Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy. The book contains multiple Snapshot trail camera images.
An image of a metal art piece of a Red Fox.
By James Stuempges, "Red" is made of Cement hoe and gearbox side plates (face and ears), lawnmower gas tank (body), lawn tractor shift lever assembly (snout), wooden knob (nose), cast iron bathtub legs (front legs), truck tow hooks (back legs), hex nuts and ball bearings (paws), rain gutter screen brush (tail), railroad track retaining iron (neck), ball bearings (eyes), welding rod (connective tissue).
Wood sign art piece showing four bears and bear prints.
Karen L. Lumaye: "These are images inspired by our woods and all the bears we used to have wandering around. We had bears with three and four cubs a few years in a row. This is painted on a tossed-out piece of slab wood ends. Stencils and hand-painted accents, with some beads and a few feathers, birch stick hangers and treated so it can be hung outside."
Two art pieces using acrylic paints. A bird in the forest during winter and deer in the forest.
Joseph Weiss created these two acrylic paintings inspired by images from his Snapshot camera.
A velvet painting of a buck in the forest.
Lori Kalies painted this beautiful scenery with a buck in velvet.
An image of a wood slice painting of a woodpecker in the forest.
Patrick Dayton, a forester at Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center, drew and painted a pileated woodpecker on a wood cookie.
An wood burning art piece of a Chickadee on a perch.
Wayne R. Griffin created this highly detailed wood burning of a chickadee.
Digital art of a wolf in the forest during winter.
Digital art by Stephen Fisher, featuring a wolf caught on his Snapshot camera, April 2020 in Vilas County.
An image of a Chickadee wood art piece with two Chickadees on a tree branch.
Don Burrows: "This hangs in our dining room in memory of my mother-in-law who loved chickadees. I made it for her back in 2007 from Wisconsin wood such as maple, oak, aspen, black walnut, and cedar and a toothpick for the center eye of the lower bird. No stains or paint are used, just different types of wood."
An image of a digital dry brush collage of animal images. Features two wolves, a bobcat, elk, deer, bear and birds in their habitat.
Digital dry brush collage of Snapshot images from across the state by Steve Meurett.
An image of a edited photo of a blue heron taking flight.
By Sue & George Holloway, an edited Snapshot photo of a blue heron taking flight.
An image of a wool felted coaster and a coffee cup. The wool felted coaster has a buck in grass.
A wool-felted coaster inspired by all the white-tailed deer on her camera, Tamara Stone said, "I consider this folk art (hand-created useful/functional artwork) done for friends and family to highlight or feature significant or meaningful things/events in their lives. I have started putting a piece or two of lichen in my work because it is an unassuming life form representing interdependence and collaboration."
An image of a bear silhouette art piece. The silhouette shown using feather from pheasants, grouse and chukar.
Bear's Wild Creations by Randee Smith. "I pheasant hunt and hated seeing the pretty feathers go to waste. I wanted to display them in a unique way that others could appreciate them while utilizing the whole animal. I'm known as the "feather lady," with my collection expanding to my backyard chicken flock, turkey, ruffed grouse, and chukar. I love creating my silhouette art since the feathers never lay the same, resulting in a unique piece. By far, my most popular design is this bear with eagle flying! Paired with a rustic frame, it just shouts Northern Wisconsin!
An image of the book, Farmcam highlights 2018-2020. The image shows two images with the book open with Snapshot Wisconsin photos.
Scott Maurer created this book of images from his Snapshot trail camera for his father, whose land the camera is on.
An image of a baby turtle 3D clay project.
A 3D clay project by Ricardo Barradas, eight years old.

 

Rare Species Sighting: Moose in Vilas County! 

One of the benefits of having a trail camera throughout Wisconsin is the ability to find rare and elusive wildlife without searching for them far and wide. We've had the pleasure of capturing some rare and unique wildlife on Snapshot Wisconsin trail cameras, including a marten and whooping crane. We are excited to share that a moose has been spotted on a Snapshot trail camera in Vilas County!

Although we have captured moose on our trail cameras before, Snapshot Wisconsin staff are so happy to have such a clear image of a moose. This picture was taken back in June and is the first confirmed detection on a Snapshot trail camera this year. 

Snapshot Wisconsin is always excited to see that our volunteers' cameras are capturing rare species, as it helps us understand their range and behaviors even more!

A moose walks through a green forest in Wisconsin, captured by a trail camera.