I’m in Ulaanbaatar for a couple more days, then heading for home. The Expedition departed on August 23 and returned on September 10. It was a great adventure that occasionally verged on the epic, was filled with days of great natural beauty,took us to places no artists have ever been and accomplished every goal that I set.
Nomadic Journeys sent us out with a great team who were reliable, professional and fun to be with. It quickly became their Expedition, too. So, really, it was all nine of us together sharing wonderful sights and experiences.
From left to right above: Oidoviin Magvandorj (Mongol artist), Sendag (driver), Odna Idevkhen (Mongol photographer), Tugsoyun Sodnom (Mongol artist), Susan Fox (Expedition organizer and American artist), Batmaa (driver), Tseegii (guide), Sharon K. Schafer (American artist). Photo taken by our cook Soyoloo, who is pictured below at Darvi Nuur.
Two years of planning are about to come to fruition. Everyone who is going on the WildArt Mongolia Expedition is in Ulaanbaatar. Final plans are laid. There will be a social get-together this evening at the Bayangol Hotel where Sharon Schafer and I are staying. We are scheduled to depart at 9 am tomorrow morning.
The first day will take us south to Bayan-Onjuul Soum. We will camp not far from Arburd Sands ger camp, which is run by a local family in conjunction with Nomadic Journeys. Saturday we will explore the area, taking time to paint and sketch the local scenery. On Sunday there will be a local naadam and we’ll be there, shooting photos and video and, with luck, getting in some sketching. Current plan is to leave Sunday afternoon after the horse race and get 3-5 hours down the road to the west and then camp. Monday we will head for a remote Gobi lake which is between the Hangai and Altai mountains, Boon Tsagaan Nuur, which should have good birdwatching on the eastern shore. From that point on where we go and in what order will depend on the weather, road conditions and what we’re seeing in the way of wildlife.
I don’t expect to have an internet connection until we get back to UB on September 10, but if I do, I’ll try to do a short update post.
Odna Idevkhten is a native Mongolian who has been working in the New York area for the past 10+ years for various financial companies. She received her BS in business from Brigham Young University and her MBA in finance from the University of Chicago. She loves traveling with her camera to interesting places around the world and to keepsake the memories of unique sights and scenes through her camera. She is also an avid art enthusiast and supporter of visual and performing arts. She has attended numerous art galleries and museums, classical music concerts, opera, ballet, and theatrical plays and musicals at leading venues around the world.
Between her love for traveling and arts, she has found a happy medium to express her artistic side – photography, especially of nature and wild animals. She is a passionate photographer and shares her photos of wildlife and nature through her Facebook photography page, “I.Odna Photography” (www.facebook.com/i.odnaphotography).
She has photographed wildlife and nature in North America, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and Europe. According to Odna, “one can be very original, creative and artistic when dealing with nature and wildlife”.
Magvandorj was born in 1952 in Tsagaan Khairkhan, Uvs Aimag.
He attended/graduated from the State Pedalogical University in 1980
From 1972 to 1976 he was an member of the Union of Mongolian Artists branch in Uvs Aimag
From 1980 to 1990 he was an artist at the Musical Drama Theater, Uvs Aimag
Since 1990 he has been a freelance artist and a member of the Union of Mongolian Artists in Ulaanbaatar since 2000.
Great Empire of Mongolia
He has exhibited his work since 1977, both in Mongolia and internationally, participating in exhibitions in Paris and Mexico. His work has been in Union of Mongolian Artists exhibitions since 2005.
His awards include:
1987- “Mongolian National Costumes”- First Prize
1987- “Concert of Many Nationalities”- Best Artist
1988- Festival of Raduga- Leading Prize
2008- Leading Cultural Worker, Ministry of Education and Science
It gives me great, great pleasure to introduce the two Mongol artists who will be going on the WildArt Mongolia Expedition! I met them when I was in Ulaanbaatar last year and am very excited that they have signed on. Them are well-known in Mongolia and deserve to be known in the United States too.
Today, I would like you to meet Tugsoyun Sodnom. Next will be Oidoviin Magvandorj.
Tugsoyun was born in 1955.
She graduated from the Fine Art College, Ulaanbaatar in 1974 and from the Surikov Institute of Fine Art, Moscow, Russia, in 1980.
She has been exhibiting her work since 1974, both in Mongolia and internationally, participating in exhibitions in Bulgaria, Japan, Russia, Japan, India, Germany, Australia, Korea, the United States and London. Since 1974 she has participated in all of the Union of Mongolian Artists’ exhibitions.
Since 1974 she has designed and/or illustrated over 100 books.
Gobi Camels
Her awards include:
1985- Annual Prize of the Union of Mongolian Artists
1988- Honorary Diploma, International Exhibition, Bulgaria
1989- Mongolian Youth Federation’s Award
1993- “Honored Labor” medal, government of Mongolia
2003- “Pole Star” of Mongolia, which is the highest honor that the Mongolian government bestows on artists
Night of Otgontenger Mountain
Her paintings and graphic works are in the collections of:
Fine Art Museum of Mongolia
Mongolian Modern Art Gallery
Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan
Trade and Development Bank, Ulaanbaatar
Agricultural Bank, Ulaanbaatar
Mongolian Chamber of Trade and Industry
Undruul Hotel
Tsetseg Hotel
Soros Foundation, Ulaanbaatar
The Asia Foundation, San Francisco, USA
Private collections in Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Korea, China, Russia, USA
Ger District; she is particularly known for her series of ger paintings
I want to introduce you today to one of the supporters of the WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Association GOVIIN KHULAN, which is run by French khulan researcher Anne-Camille Souris. We’ve corresponded via Facebook for a couple of years and were able to meet and chat in person in Ulaanbaatar during my trip last year.
Anne-Camille also works with Mongol artists through her International Art for Conservation project.
In the past she worked at Takhiin Tal, one of the destinations of the Expedition, studying takhi. Very few researchers were carrying out research on khulan compared to takhi, so she switched species. There are also khulan at Takhiin Tal, which is in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area. She has offered to lend her expertise in both these wild equids, for which I am greatly appreciative.
You can find out more about khulan here. And below is the information Anne-Camille sent me about her organization and its work.
“The Association GOVIIN KHULAN is a French non-profit organization that works in the southeast Gobi, Mongolia, to protect the endangered Mongolian Khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) and its habitat in partnership with local rangers and communities.
The Mongolian Khulan – also known as Mongolian Wild Ass – is an endangered wild Equid and is one the 5 recognized sub-species of the Asiatic Wild Ass. The Mongolian Khulan represents the largest population of this species in the world. However, its population has known an important decrease by as much as 50% since the end of the 1990’s and about 15 000 individuals are now left in the wild.
The Association GOVIIN KHULAN has built a multidisciplinary approach to ensure protection of this endangered species on a long term: a) research, b) local and international information, education and awareness, c) involvement of local communities, d) partnership with local rangers, e) technical and professional support to rangers and citizen conservationists/scientists, f) partnership with Buddhist monks, g) reinforcement of links between Mongolian culture and traditions with nature protection, and h) community development & animal and environment ethics (in progress).
I’m very pleased to announce that fellow Society of Animal Artists Signature Member Sharon K. Schafer has joined the Expedition!
Sharon has a diversified background with skills ranging from wildlife biologist, naturalist, photographer, writer, and illustrator. Now as a full-time artist, she combines two loves – nature and art.
At Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA she earned a degree in Wildlife Management and subsequently worked as a field biologist in Washington, California, and Nevada for Soil Conservation Service, Pacific Gas and Electric, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Dawn Watch: Desert Bighorn Sheep Acrylic on Clayboard
In 1998, in an effort to combine her interest in both art and nature, Schafer founded Skydance Studio and is dedicated to the creation of products and images that promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the beauty and diversity of nature. She is a signature member of Artists for Conservation and the Society of Animal Artists.
Beyond the studio, Schafer shares her artistic talent and enthusiasm for the natural world by teaching art and nature-related classes through Canyonlands Field Institute, Joshua Tree National Park’s Desert Institute, Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, and has conducted workshops at the National Association for Interpretation National Conference.
In addition, she has developed natural-resource-related educational exhibits and images for the US National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Forest Service among others.
Canyon Light: Double-crested Cormorants at the Nest Acrylic on Clayboard
Her passion for the natural world has lead her to the very ends of the earth, where she has worked over 100 days as an photographer, videographer, and artist-in residence in the Arctic, Antarctic, and sub-Antarctic Islands.
Schafer presently resides in Boulder City, Nevada where her studio overlooks the inspiring beauty of the Mojave Desert.
Low Hanging Fruit: White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel in Cat Claw Acacia Acrylic on Clayboard
Educational background:
Graduate Study, 1976-1978, Natural Resource Management-Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University, CA
B.S., 1976, Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University, CA
Awards and recognition: (selected recent)
2012, Artist For Conservation, 14th Flag Expedition competitive grant, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada
2012. The Art of Conservation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2012, Art of the Animal Kingdom XVIII, Bennington, VT
2012, Art and the Animal, Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ
2012, Association for Partners of Public Lands National Conference, National Conference, Keynote Speaker, Las Vegas, NV
2011, Art and the Animal, Dennos Museum, Traverse City, MI,
2011, Art and the Animal National Tour, The Wildlife Experience, Parker, CO
2011, Art and the Animal National Tour, Dunnegan Gallery of Art, Bolivar, MO
2011, Art and the Animal National Tour, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI
2011, Signature Member – Society of Animal Artists
2011, The Art of Conservation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2011, Art of the Animal Kingdom XVII, Bennington, VT
Ancient Whispers: Sloan Canyon Petroglyph Watercolor and Gouache on Arches
Current contact Information:
Skydance Studio
1448 Bronco Road
Boulder City, Nevada 89005
702/293.3929 (studio); 702/239.3673 (cell)
skydancestudio@earthlink.net
I arrived home from my seven week trip to Mongolia last Tuesday. I’ve been alternating catching up and doing….nothing or at least nothing more strenuous than watching a baseball game. The first order of business was to download and start categorizing the over 8000 images I shot on the trip. I always feel better when everything is safely on the hard drive, backed up to the remote Vault and visible in Aperture.
My final days in Ulaanbaatar were a bit of a whirlwind. The art event at ArtiCour Gallery was great! There was a steady stream of people all day, some of whom I knew. There was a lot of interest in the WildArt Mongolia Expedition and at least three artists expressed an interest in going next year. Many art students came by. The director of a Mongolian magazine which publishes articles on artists stopped in and said that they want to do an article on my and my work! Even more special to me personally, a number of very prominent Mongol artists attended, all of them members of the venerable Union of Mongolian Artists, which was founded in 1944. Two of them invited me to visit their studios. But that will be a tale for another post.
Here’s a selection of photos taken at “American Artist Susan Fox-The WildArt Mongolia Expedition”, which was the first in ArtiCour’s new Visiting International Artists series.
Entrance to ArtiCour GalleryMeeting E. Sukhee, one of Mongolia’s most famous artistsWatercolor demonstrationBactrian camel. watercolor demoDisplay of watercolors I did on location over two afternoons while I was visiting Hustai National Park, one of the three places in Mongolia where takhi (Przewalski’s horse) have been reintroducedMeeting Dunburee, also a very prominent Mongol artistDoing a fast sketching demo during my evening presentationI couldn’t have had a better, more attentive group and they asked some great questions later on.Meeting with Ekhbat Lantuu, President of the New Century Art Association, which promotes environmental issues through the arts.My interpreters, Khailiunaa and Buyandelger, without whom I wouldn’t have been able to talk to anyoneJanna Kamimila, the Director of ArtiCour Gallery and my host
Arburd Sands ger camp with a summer storm coming in
As I noted in my previous post, in Mongolia flexibility is important. So when I got back from my weekend at Arburd Sands ger camp and found that the other artist had cancelled due to a family emergency, I had to get flexible and fast.
The WildArt Mongolia Expedition is now postponed until September of 2013. I will be traveling in the countryside to other locations between now and when I head for home. I’ll post about them when I can.
The great news is that I am working with a young Mongolian man, Byambakhuu Darinchuluun, who lives in New York and who has contacts all over the United States with the various Mongol-American communities and also here in Mongolia. We will be publicizing the Expedition while I’m here in the country, explaining this special, first-time collaboration between Mongol and American artists I’ve planned that will also support conservation. And we’ll have time to extend and refine this important initiative.
To that end I will be the focus of a special event, “American Artist Susan Fox- the WildArt Mongolia Expedition”, on September 22 at ArtiCore Gallery Company, which is right in the middle of Ulaanbaatar, across from Sukhbaatar Square. I’ll be meeting local Mongol artists, talking about the Expedition, giving a presentation on my work and demonstrating my fast sketching technique.
I had a wonderful time at Arburd Sands ger camp last weekend, which was hosting their first naadam for visitors. I got to see the horse race from the beginning through the middle and end and took around 700 photos plus video. There will be more on that later, but here’s a few photos that I particularly liked, including a couple of Mongol bokh, or wrestling.
I got to ride in the car which paralleled the horses.The ones taken through the windshield communicate the excitement quite well.This is the winning horse, quite a beauty and he won by quite a bit.Some of the wrestlers are big guys.Doing the Eagle Dance before a bout.
Susan Fox, American Artist 