Read this Wildlife Art Journal article

'High and Dry', oil, one of Dutra's 2012 Prix de West paintings

How many nature artists in the world have this on their résumé:  Mentored by Robert Lougheed, Clarence Tillenius, George Carlson and Bob Kuhn.  Worked for Steven Spielberg George Lucas, and Tim Burton?

Yes, you are among millions, perhaps billions, of viewers on planet Earth who already know some of Randal M. Dutra's work. It's part of the communal social tradition called going to the movies.  As an animator and Animation Director, Dutra was a creative special effects collaborator working with teams that produced some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters.  Consider the list of films "Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi", "Jurassic Park", "Jurassic Park II: The Lost World", the remake of "War of the Worlds", "Gremlins", "Robocop", "Willow", "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and "101 Dalmations"?  For two of those, Dutra was nominated for an Academy Award.

But Dutra left because his heart resides in painting.  For the last three decades, even as he helped make big screen films that left an imprint on the imaginations of generations, he was always modeling clay and painting on the side using old school techniques.  "I have obviously worked with some extraordinary people and had many privileged, unique experiences in the film business," he says.  "But at the end of the day, no matter how invigorating the projects were, I longed to always get back to nature, where I had that deep connection—to interpret it, touch it, and organize...