Arthur B. Singer

I started drawing drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil.

Growing up in the city of New York all I ever saw of field and forest were on vacations during summer months. My awareness of wild mammals and birds came from frequent visits to the great New York Zoological  Society in the Bronx . My parents knew that I love visiting the zoo so they took me there frequently.

After high school I took a competitive exam and got into Cooper Union Art School .I decided to keep my mind and eyes open to absorb what I could and to try to understand what was good in each artistic style. Several teachers learned of my interest in natural history and directed me to the work of Oriental artists.  I admired its delicacy and subtlety and dramatic composition.

Shortly after I graduated from Art School, Van Gogh’s paintings were exhibited in New York City for the first time in many years. I was very much impressed with Van Gogh’s use of colour and I feel his work is influenced mine.

In the Years following World War II opportunities of interest in wildlife art where the low Point. Most of the assignments were for hunting magazines and I didn’t feel my work was appropriate for these magazine I got a job at an art director for an advertising agency in New York. One project was like a dream come true. I’d always wanted to do a beautiful book on birds and I was commissioned to do birds in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the work even though it took almost four years to complete.

My basic philosophy about Wildlife painting is that it should be a slavish imitation of Photography. Designing composition should play the major role in the pain. A realistic portrayal of the bird and its native habitat is necessary, but design and selectivity are also very important. I spend a great deal of time on preparatory sketches before I decide on the one that most successfully combines these aspects of realism and design.