Anne Peyton’s Biography

There are two criteria for a painting that Anne Peyton places in each of her finished pieces: One is that the final image shows respect for the subject; the second is that viewers can learn something after studying the art. They are two principles that the artist has carried over to her new career as a wildlife artist, concentrating on birds and avian art.

For 20 years, Anne was one of the most sought after motorsports artists. Today, she has turned her eye and hand to the natural world. “In a way, it’s closing a circle. Birds and other wildlife were the subjects of my earliest paintings. My grandfather had a number of feeders at his Fort Collins (Colorado) home and he was very proud of the birds that visited his yard. I would spend several hours at the table sketching and painting the birds I saw.

“Painting birds may seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, but in truth there is a lot of similarity. Birds can be brilliantly colored or purposefully drab. They are technically difficult. The artist must be able to capture and represent the proper attitude of a bird in its natural setting.”

An avid birder, Anne has spent countless hours viewing birds around Arizona and the Southwest. “Observing birds and their habits is a way to discover more about their nature – the motions a Sandhill Crane makes during preening, the way a Golden Eagle walks along the ground instead of hopping or taking a short flight, or the frantic scolding of a House Wren guarding its nest hole. Each of these actions means something for the bird and it is these actions and their meanings that I want to convey to the viewer.”

Anne dedicates several hours each month to volunteering at Liberty Wildlife, a Phoenix-based rehabilitation and education organization that treats injured animals. Rarely, a bird cannot be released back into the wild. Zoos claim some while others become avian ambassadors for their species at Liberty’s presentations. Anne’s specialty is assisting eagles, hawks, owls and vultures to become accustomed to people in educational and group settings.

“Each bird is an individual and behaves differently. Even among the same species, each bird has a distinct personality. That surprised me when I first started working with these amazing creatures, but it is an aspect that has served me well in the field and in my artwork.”

Photo copyright, Lesley Guenther

Anne Peyton is based in Ahwatukee Foothills, Arizona. She is a Master Signature member of Women Artists of the West, a Signature member of the Society of Animal Artists, a Signature Artist’s Guild member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, a Signature member of the Artists For Conservation, a Signature member of the American Plains Artists, a Signature member of the American Women Artists, and an Associate member of the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylics.

Her work has been seen in the several exhibitions, including Birds in Art (Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin); the Arts for the Parks (Jackson, Wyoming); Miniatures and More (National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson, Wyoming); National Society of Painters in Casein & Acrylics annual exhibition (Salmagundi Club, New York City); and numerous Society of Animal Artists’ and Artists For Conservation exhibitions.

Anne’s paintings are part of the permanent collection at the Driftless Glen Distillery, Baraboo, Wisconsin; Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin; Bennington (Vermont) Center for the Natural and Cultural Arts; the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona; and the Great Plains Art Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska.

View a complete listing of Anne’s shows and societies to which she belongs.