Caroline Schultz (1936-2004)

You are bidding on a signed limited edition print by Caroline Schultz.  This print is number 20/300.

Ms. Schultz' fascination with Africa began in her early childhood. She painted animals then and although through the years she studied and worked at every other facet of art, non-objective, landscape, still-life, seascape and portrait paintings, she came full circle, back to her first and favorite subject, jungle animals.

When Schultz began to paint exotic animals, she brought to her work the modern art background and experiences she had accumulated throughout the years. She created a style that is so unique, it created a stir in the art world. The success of her technique can best be attributed to her talent and complete understanding and love of her subjects.

Certainly Schultz didn't have to go to Africa to paint wild animals. She had already learned the bone structures and obvious techniques and she could view wild animals at the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park. She actually did spend many hours at both places studying the animal's movements. Why then did she want to go on safari in Africa?

"I felt I needed to see the animals in their natural habitat. When I started to paint animals again I decided I had gone as far as I could with the animals in the zoo. My feeling for Africa and its fauna just grew and grew; finally I saved my money for three years to make the first trip. The first safari was in South Africa."

"I went to Africa with a very healthy respect for the wild creatures I would encounter. If I had any fear at all, it was soon dissipated by the excitement I felt."

The second safari Schultz went on was in East Africa with a group of fifteen people. "When you get involved in conservation in Africa you realize that people must be educated as to the importance of preserving wild life. Animals are driven from their hunting grounds and killed for either nuisance or skins; not to provide food for the hungry. The occasional trophy-head sought by the big-game hunter is not the real problem in Africa. "I've found that the big game hunter, after he learns about the animals, usually stops killing them and becomes a conserva- tionist."

Schultz' third trip to Africa was her most exciting visit. Arrangements were made for her to go to Secret Valley nestled on Mt. Kenya, the only place in the world where leopards come regularly to feed in full view of people. "It is difficult to explain what being able to observe all of these animals means to me, not only as an artist but as a person," Schultz said. "I have grown so much from these ventures, and I feel I have become a part of the fight to help keep the animals in Africa alive and part of the culture which should be preserved."