Rancher and artist retired in Tucson still makes art

What does a retired rancher who is also an artist do when she moves to Southern Arizona? She takes amazing photos of local wildlife in action, donating some to wildlife nonprofits and attracting a following of fans.

Sheryl Hester lived on a ranch in Montana for most of her life. She studied art in college and became Montana’s first police artist after training at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. As a police artist she did crime scene layout sketches and composite sketches of suspects.

Now retired, Hester lives in Sun City and has found a wealth of photographic subjects at and near the golf course. She enjoys being outdoors but lately has had mobility issues, so she uses her golf cart to get around.

She’ll park and wait.

“We’re allowed to do that on our course in the off hours — early in the morning and in the evening. It’s not always ideal for perfect lighting,” Hester says, “but I’m persistent and devoted to it. I go out two or three hours every single day.”

While she’s out on her golf cart, sometimes other walkers will steer Hester to where they have seen some animals out and about.

Once she chooses her spot, she has her camera, often with a telephoto lens, already focused and on her lap so she can grab it without delay.

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Having been around animals all her life, Hester knows how to be patient and wait.

“I don’t ever stress the animals and I don’t try to push them. I just let them put on a show for me and I sit on the sidelines and get pictures,” Hester explains.

That show includes coyote pups playing and wrestling, javelina and their families and squirrels scrambling over one another as they play and explore. Hester’s patience is a rewarding virtue.

She takes a lot of photos and then goes home to sort through them, deleting what isn’t usable. She then donates many photos to wildlife and animal organizations and has a website at SherylHester.blogspot.com where fans may see her photos and art.

Hester enjoys Tucson and the desert and has created a Facebook group called “Tucson Things I Love” where she and others may post photos and comments. The page has more than 3,000 members.

Between the Facebook group and her Blogspot page, Hester receives hundreds of comments daily and has a large online following.

If the animals keep playing, Hester will keep her camera handy to capture the antics.