Joe Weatherly

Through his artworks, Joe Weatherly tells a story—that of Nature in all its dimensions: beautiful, fierce, fragile, and unpredictable. His vigorous style captures the essence of the animal kingdom with striking realism and power. A recognized member of the Society of Animal Artists, he carries on the great tradition of American and European realistic animal painting, driven by a strong commitment to nature conservation.  

To preserve your works on paper, we recommend that you never expose them to direct light, as UV rays can damage the mediums used. Paintings made with pastel or charcoal require special care to avoid rubbing. Works containing watercolor are particularly sensitive to light, unlike gouache and acrylic.
We advise you to display them away from windows, and to use frames made from pH-neutral conservation materials and “Museum” glass with anti-UV and anti-reflective treatment. If you prefer to keep your works unframed, we recommend storing them flat, in drawing cartons, with sheets of pH-neutral permanent paper in between. Keep them away from light and humidity.

A California-based artist with a master’s degree in illustration from California State University, Fullerton, Joe Weatherly specialized early on in animal drawing and painting, following in the footsteps of the great painters of the genre such as Bob Kuhn, Sir Alfred Munnings, Paul Jouve, and Wilhelm Kuhnert. He divides his career between teaching—at prestigious institutions and studios such as Nickelodeon Animation, DreamWorks Feature Animation, Universal Studios, the Art Center College of Design, and the Academy of Art in San Francisco—and a prolific body of personal work, published in several seminal reference books on animal drawing, including The Weatherly Guide to Drawing Animals and Animal Essence. His reputation as an expert led DreamWorks to consult him on the animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) to ensure the accuracy of the horses’ movements. His works have been featured in several solo exhibitions, notably at the Ford Motor Company headquarters, California State University Fullerton, and twice at the Daniel Maghen Gallery in Paris, in 2012 and 2016.  Complete biography.