By Kathy L. Collins
Don Korte of Brandon is a talented artist who lovingly creates images of wildlife using pen and ink. This medium is difficult to work, but according to Korte, “It gives a great deal of control on details of a subject.”
Korte also uses oil, watercolor and acrylic.
It is this eye toward detail that makes Korte’s work so intriguing. Korte is a self-taught artist. After a lifetime of working, Korte is able to create his pieces.
“I enjoy doing wildlife. I started with horses in grade school. I was always around farm animals. I did a lot of hunting and fishing. I have a natural interest in wildlife,” said Korte.
Now, his talent is being recognized. He recently received an honorable mention at the Winthrop Arts Festival.
“This was my first outdoor art show. It was an honor to have my art recognized,” said Korte.
At the recent Strawberry Festival, he received a first place ribbon for his piece entitled “Moose.”
Korte said, “To have your work recognized by judges who have made art their career is really exciting.”
Korte does commission work and pet portraits from photographs.
“All the portraits I’ve done have been in pastels or pen and ink. I try to capture the nature of the pet and make them look lifelike.”
Korte’s creations can be purchased on prints and notecards.
“I have notecards available for when an email is just not personal enough,” said Korte. These are available at www.wildlifenotecards.com. The notecards can also be found at the Manatee Viewing gift shop at the Tampa electric plant in Apollo Beach.
For more information and availability for commission work, call Korte at 263-5172.
