The Art of Nature

"Take a Walk on the Wild Side," our invitational art show, features the work of four artists whose work is inspired by the natural world: Jess Sauder, Laura Partain, Mike Wurman and Rhianna Wurman. We asked each of them to share some particular "wild side" spot they love.
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Jess Sauder
So many beautiful things, so many wonderful places! I have different places that I frequent when I’m looking to enjoy specific things. One wooded neighborhood trail guarantees woodpeckers, turtles and mushrooms, another nearby trail holds numerous varieties of native woodland flowers that I'm slowly learning to identify. When it rains, there’s a place I go off-trail to enjoy the water flowing in the stream bed.

But at Beaverdam Reservoir Trail (now a part of the newly opened Reservoir Park), I always see a bit of everything I love: rocks, birds, water, moss, trees, flowers and wildlife. I’ve glimpsed Barred Owls, seen Great Blue Herons, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, and Belted Kingfishers in addition to songbirds and waterfowl. Plus, turtles, foxes, snakes, flowers, butterflies, and more moss-covered rocks. I spotted my first pair of Tufted Titmice there—saw their big eyes and expressive head-tilts up close (which inspired the painting).

Every time I head out for a hike I go with anticipation—wondering what I'll see this time—and I’m never disappointed. What beauty surrounds us!
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—​Jess Sauder
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​Laura Partain
A place that I love that stands out is Isle Royale. In 2022, I spent 10 days on the island backpacking. Technically part of Michigan, Isle Royale is an archipelago with one dominant island in the middle of Lake Superior, closer to Canada than the states. You can only get there by a 3+ hour ferry ride, or a sea plane. There are no cars, and only one small lodge at the island's east end.

It is mostly a backpacker's park. Its mixed forest contains a boreal forest on one end and a mixed deciduous forest on the other. Peppered through the main island are remote hiking trails, swamps, surprisingly challenging terrain with small mountains, hills, and cliffs, and, most famously, moose and wolves. It is also home to the longest running predator-prey study in the world, which began in the 1950s. While I heard wolves at night and saw their scat and paw prints, I never saw them.

This was my first time hiking around moose. I was fairly nervous. One day when I was hiking into the evening, my chances of seeing one were greater. Rounding a corner, I saw a massive bull moose in a swamp. I was entirely in awe and also terrified. It didn't take me but a second later to realize he was way more afraid of me, than I was of him. The moment he caught wind of me, he crashed through the marsh and back into the woods. I was amazed, if not a little terrified by his sheer size. Eventually I became desensitized and used to seeing them. In ten days, I saw seven bull moose. On my last day before taking the ferry back to the mainland, I saw my final moose. He was close enough to get a good photograph with the telephoto lens I had on my 35mm camera.

​Isle Royale is also known as The Good Place, or “Minong”, by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. It is that—and more. 

 —​Laura Partain
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Mike Wurman
There are many beautiful spots I’ve encountered, each noteworthy in its own way, but the one that means the most to me is Max Patch, located on the Tennessee/North Carolina border along the Appalachian Trail.

During an afternoon stroll across its summit in May of 2014, after I had quit my brief career as an artist, I was overcome with emotions and a deep desire to pick up my pencil and draw again. It was also on that day that I received the call to hike the trail itself.

That day changed my life and sent me on a journey down an unknown path that continues to this day.

​—Mike Wurman


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Rhianna Wurman
Living in Asheville, NC, for the last 12 years, I’ve had the great pleasure of discovering the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and their scenic overlooks, waterfalls and hiking trails. Every time I set foot on a trail, it’s like medicine for the body and soul. 

One place that refreshes and inspires me, time and time again, is Sam’s Knob Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ve witnessed many gorgeous mountain sunsets, enjoyed picnics next to streaming waterfalls, and looked up to a sky full of stars. Its impact stays with me, and I hope to have many more adventures there.

--Rhianna Wurman

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