Art at the Junction Dec. 6

Wild West Junction to host artist Jacqueline Clayton

Northern Arizona artist Jacqueline Clayton has found wonderful inspiration in the Seligman area, where she has lived for the last five years, after relocating from the California coast. Clayton specializes in oil painting, as well as pen and ink illustrations, and focuses on wildlife art.

Both the artist and her art will be on hand Dec. 6 at Wild West Junction, located at 321 E. Route 66. The event, scheduled from noon to 3 p.m., is hosted by Jules of the West and sponsor Julie Foster. Hot, spiced apple cider and homemade cookies will be served during the art show.

"Jacque's work is reflective of her nature - bright, vibrant and genuine," Foster said. "Her paintings that I have viewed depict the varied geological regions with some wildlife of Arizona in a very colorful and accurate manner. She has spoken of other pieces she has painted, of varying themes and hues, and I am really looking forward to seeing the balance of her collection."

Originally born in San Francisco, Clayton said she spent much of her childhood sketching everything in sight, particularly animals. She eventually began a successful business in the field of animal portraiture while living in the Los Angeles area. Her art has been shown in a number of California's renowned fine art galleries, including the Saratoga Fine Arts Gallery and the Californias Gallery.

"I feel like I was born an artist and I just get a lot of joy out of painting. It makes me feel good and it makes me feel good to paint for other people," Clayton said of her work. "My main focus is oil painting. When I paint animals it just makes me excited - they're beautiful and it's a real inspiration to capture them on canvass."

While living in the area of Santa Cruz in northern California, Clayton became actively involved in the area's art councils. Clayton also studied under a number of California's more prominent landscape artists while attending art school in northern California, including Manuel Serro, Michael Lindstrom and Stephan Bauhmann.

"My teachers were outstanding. I did abstract painting, I did colorist courses, portraiture courses, anatomy courses. Mostly I did oil painting," Clayton said. "I had a lot of good teachers that mentored me. I had a really good repertoire of painting teachers."

Clayton currently lives on what she calls a small "mini-ranch" in the Seligman area with her husband, Richard. Wildlife in the area, she said, has inspired her recent paintings, which portray elk, antelope, deer, bald eagles and red tail hawks that she said frequent the area near her home. One of Clayton's animal paintings has a permanent home in the offices of Williams City Hall.

"It has truly been a major source of inspiration," Clayton said.

For more information on the Dec. 6 art show, contact Clayton via e-mail at jacquelclayton@yahoo.com.