Artist with Harris Hawk, Southwestern Utah

Sharon K. Schafer has a diversified background with skills ranging from wildlife biologist,naturalist, photographer, writer, illustrator and river guide. Now as a self-employed artist, she combines two loves - nature and art.

Schafer's fascination with nature and love of art has always been an integral part of her life. As a youngster, Schafer camped with her family throughout the Southwest. These experiences instilled in her a life-long appreciation of the natural world.

At Humboldt State University, she earned a degree in Wildlife Management, with honors, and completed an additional two years of graduate study. Subsequently, she worked as a field biologist in Washington, California, and Nevada for Soil Conservation Service, Pacific Gas and Electric, and the Bureau of Land Management.

In the Studio, Boulder City, Nevada

Her interest in art, however, kept calling. She established an award-winning art gallery in Southern Nevada that also included a museum-quality frame center. There her exhibit design and fabrication skills earned her numerous national and international awards.

In an effort to combine her interest in art and nature, Schafer founded Skydance Studio in 1998. With the studio, she has dedicated herself to the creation of products and images that promote a deeper under-standing and appreciation of the beauty and diver-sity of nature.

Zipline, Amazon Rainforest, Tamayau River Peru

She has developed natural-resource-related educational exhibits and images for the US National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service, and US Forest Service among others.

Beyond the studio, Schafer shares her artistic talent and passion for the natural world by teaching art and nature-related classes through Canyonlands Field Institute, Joshua Tree National Park’s Desert Institute, and Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association and has conductied workshops for the National Association for Interpretation (NAI).

Her passion for the natural world has lead her to the ends of the earth, where she has spent 60 days as an artist-in residence in the Antarctic and sub Antarctic Islands and is currently working on a body of work inspired by that extrodinary experience.

Her current solo show, The Art of Nature: Images from the Wildlands of Southern Nevada for the Nevada State Museum celebrates the wildlife and wildlands of southern Nevada. The show is currently on display for a year beginning in December 2007.

Baby Elephant Seals, South Georgia