Live, Work & Play in Escondido

The nationally sought after wildlife artist’s attention to detail and the accurately scientific representation of his artistic subjects may be one of the secrets to his success. “Animals are so beautiful. They are perfect. Whether you believe in God or evolution, animals continually evolve to become more perfected in what they do. I love painting these things that are perfect,” says Kromschroeder. “I ask myself ‘how can I show these to someone else the way I see them?’ Then I realize all I have to do is paint the animal exactly the way it looks.”

Beginning his career as a painter of landscapes and nude figures, he was an outdoorsman and mountain climber. He thought that his knowledge of animals was deep enough to be able to capture the detailed, authentic characteristics of wildlife, and although landscapes could sustain his business and earn him a good living as an artist, he changed his focus to wildlife art in 1978.

“My first paintings were horrible. When I started I realized how much I really didn’t know. I needed to depend on, and pay attention to, scientists and reach out to them for accuracy. I go behind the scenes to interview professionals like the doctors who work with the killer whales at Sea World when I am painting whales, or the head of the natural history museum to make sure my representation of a quail is right.”

Lee also goes out into the wild to study his subjects in their natural habitats. “I’ve been to Canada in a trip that was sponsored in part by the Smithsonian, where they paired wildlife artists with wilderness canoeists, paddling north on the George River,” he says. Kromschroeder recalls being overwhelmed by icy water, white water rapids, and giant ice holes.

Another of his field studies took him to the Amazon River, where he encountered many poisonous, dangerous organisms. “I went with an Indian guide. It was one place I remember feeling I had no business being. There were poisonous things everywhere--spiders, centipedes, ants, scorpions, snakes. Occasionally my guide would run. When he ran, I ran.”

When Kromschroeder is out in nature he takes photos and also does field paintings. In doing a field painting, he will pay attention only to the color, which sometimes isn’t photographed accurately. “Field paintings are all about specifically trying to capture the color,” he says. Later he will go back to his photos for the detail so he can accurately paint his subject. One room in the studio is piled with albums of wildlife photos that he took himself, and uses as reference for the subjects he brings to life on his canvasses.

Kromschroeder has also been on expeditions to Mexico, the jungles of Asia, Alaska, and Africa, which is his favorite. “I have been to some amazing places. When you’re in Africa, every game drive will bring you something you haven’t seen before. Invariably you will be with guides that have seen it all, but even they will admit there will always be something new to witness. Africa is a clear-cut case of survival of the fittest. You have to be on top of your game there or you won’t survive. You are either the top of the genetic pool, or you will be dinner.”

Lee Kromschroeder received his bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1973 from San Francisco State University. Growing up in a family full of artists, Lee has memories of painting as far back as he can remember. His younger sister is a painter, his mother and two of her sisters were artists, and his paternal grandmother was a painter. “On Saturdays I would go to my grandmother’s house to use her oil paints,” says Kromschroeder. “I remember painting at an easel on the first day of kindergarten. I painted a robot with electricity coming out of his head. My mother kept that painting. I think it is hilarious when I look at it now, but I always loved to paint and have been painting my whole life.”

The life of a professional wildlife artist is really a juggling act. Kromschroeder says an artist has to be on the road a lot of the time, like a musician. “You have to go to shows because that is where you sell your work, but then you have to do your research in the field for ideas and accuracy, of course if you don’t spend hours and hours painting in your studio there will be nothing to sell at the shows.”

Lee does approximately 12 shows per year all over the country. “I don’t market myself in Escondido,” he says. “The closest thing is the Art for Wildlife Gallery in Coronado which features a lot of my work.” Wild Wings, his publisher, sells his prints to galleries all over the country. “There is an ebb and flow to what clients want to buy, but there are no secrets to knowing the trends. As a wildlife artist, I have found it’s the large, appreciated animals that are sought after,” Kromschroeder says. “If you want to make a living, you have to paint subjects that are interesting and attractive to people, ones they think they know something about.”

In commenting on the abundance of talented residents who live in the city of Escondido, Lee says, “An interesting thing about our community is that it has tons of artists. You would be surprised how many musicians and artists live in Escondido that we don’t even realize.”

For more information about Kromschroeder’s extraordinary work, visit www.leekromschroeder.com.  EM

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