Jan Priddy is a hunter in the sense that she captures the individual personalities of animals in her paintings. She is a full-time artist, web designer, mom to a teenaged son, wife, and loves to travel.
She grew up around animals with a pet horse and goats to play with. Her father introduced her to exotic animals with regular trips to the zoo. Priddy was intrigued. “I’ve always loved animals,” she says. “They are my favorite subject to paint.” When she started taking art classes with Robert L. Caldwell in 2013, she wanted to learn realism. After six months, Caldwell suggested she expand her sources for animal subject matter which set in motion a series of trips to several wildlife reserves.
Goldface, Oil, 16x20, $1200
In 2016, Priddy went with a group lead by Caldwell on an 11 day photography safari in Africa. “Robert said I really needed to see the lions and other animals in the wild,” she says. “It turned out to be life changing!” She also likes to paint horses and is particularly involved with the wild horses of Corolla on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She explains, “I donate paintings to be sold at the Wild Horse Adventure Tours gallery with the proceeds going to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a nonprofit that takes care of the horses.
When asked how she balances her busy life, Priddy says, "I don’t watch TV.” Then after a pause she adds, “Unless it’s a wildlife show.”