Tiger #2 finished!

A Tail of Two Tigers for the Art  Zoobilee is done! Here are some photos prevarnish (easier to see detail without the glare). Click on any to enlarge:

Midwestern tiger side. This tiger is in his natural habitat on a Wisconsin farm.

Siberian Tiger side

Close-up of the Siberian Tiger side. This tiger is in his native habitat (this is Cyber, the Siberian tiger who lives at the Henry Vilas Zoo)

It really is a tail of two tigers.

The title, showing a detail of the Midwestern Tiger side--as you can see, most of the anatomy is 1/2 siberian and 1/2 midwestern tiger as well....

Art Zoobilee opens at Vilas Zoo today!

Just got a first glimpse of the artists’ animals today. Beautiful work. Here’s a couple. Will add more later….

My friend Alicia Rheal’s giraffe (#4 on map) and penguin, #6 on map (click any image to enlarge):

"People Watching" by Alicia Rheal, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola

"You are What You Eat" by Alicia Rheal, sponsored by Mid-West Family Broadcasting

My tiger (#14 on map) is still at its indoor location at the Visitor’s Center:

"Cats of the World" by S.V. Medaris, sponsored by Excellence in Dentistry

Billboard tiger moved down the road

Now it’s a little farther down the frontage road on West Beltline Hwy (on right, going east):

(click tiger to enlarge)

“Worldly Cat” on billboard

Cyber as Worldly Cat can be found (much bigger than life) on the frontage road of West Beltline Hwy near the Verona Road on-ramp to the Beltline (above Burne Color Lab and House of HD Custom Tattooing)—on the right as you’re heading east on West Beltline Hwy.

(click tiger to enlarge)

I’ve never had artwork up on a billboard before–it’s sort of thrilling Art Zoobilee opens this weekend, Saturday, June 19th! More info at Art Zoobilee

Since Adams Outdoor is donating the billboard space for the Art Zoobilee, this guy has moved around as needed when they have holes to fill. My tiger is getting around!

“Worldly Cat” at the Overture

Check out Worldly Cat next time you’re at the Overture’s Rotunda Lobby:

He’s in the Rotunda Lobby, after spending February at the Dane County Airport. Then off to the Zoo!

Zoobilee 2010 schedule
JUNE 19-SEPT 26:
The animals will be displayed throughout the zoo. The art display will consist of life-size and small fiberglass zoo animal sculptures painted or decorated by local artists.

OCTOBER 22:
The art will be sold at a live and silent auction event at Marriott West. Proceeds from the event will be split evenly to benefit American Family Children’s Hospital and the Friends of the Zoo.

More info at Henry Vilas Zoo’s Zoobilee

Zoobilee tiger

was finally finished in mid-December. A great opportunity, but much too much detail to get done quickly (as I’d originally planned). Grad school work suffered, but then again, the stipend earned helped pay for this spring semester’s courses. So I can’t complain.

See the tiger’s progression here, plus further information about the event, dates, sponsors…. Coming soon to the Henry Vilas Zoo this summer! More info about the Zoobilee. A few pics:

1.) Worldly Cat features a world map of the current populations of big cats (on the left side of the tiger’s body). The final tiger, lifesize, face modeled after Cyber, the Siberian tiger at the Henry Vilas Zoo. The actual tiger (Cyber) at the zoo is well worth the trip–he’s a real cutie and just gorgeous.

2.) With the littles for scale (ah who am I kidding? I just love posing them):

3.) Right side features a map of Madison, WI with some popular points of interest…

Fiberglass form is from Cowpainters in Chicago. They make the greatest forms!! (my cow and pig, from other shows, also came from there)

Wanna see where Worldly Cat is these days? This month (January) he is at Hilldale. Then the tentative schedule: The tiger will be moving to the Monona Terrace for the month of February and then the plan is to move to the Dane County Airport at the end of February through March. They hope to bring it to the Zoo in April. This is the schedule as of now.

See more painted forms…