John James Audubon (1785-1851 )

John James Audubon ( April 26, 1785-January 27, 1851) was an American artist who drew birds, mammals, plants, and other subjects from nature. His passion was painting wildlife in watercolor - especially birds.

John James Audubon (1785-1851)

In 1827, he published the first of the color plates of "Birds of America." The 435 paintings were portraits of every bird then known in the United State. The first edition was known as the "elephant folio" because it was so big (39.37 inches high).

Audubon was a naturalist. A naturalist is a person who is knowledgeable about natural history, especially botany and zoology.

Actually, his bird drawings were intended to be scientific sketches instead of art. But most people would agree that his careful observation of birds brought a realism and detail to his sketches that elevated them to the level of art.

Audubon developed his own methods for drawing birds. First, he killed them using fine shot. He then used wires to prop them into a natural position, unlike the common method of many ornithologists, who prepared and stuffed the specimens into a rigid pose. When working on a major specimen like an eagle, he would spend up to four 15-hour days, preparing, studying, and drawing it. His paintings of birds are set true-to-life in their natural habitat. He often portrayed them as if caught in motion, especially feeding or hunting. Audubon based his paintings on his extensive field observations.

An ornithologist is a zoologist who studies birds.

The National Audubon Society created in 1905 is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Its mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds.

Born near Turbeville, South Carolina, Anne Richardson became a painter of birds and received attention from collectors including Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Her painting "Carolina Wren and Yellow Jessamine" hangs in the South Carolina State House in Columbia. "Pine Grosbecks" was on the cover of "National Wildlife Magazine".

All of Richardson's work reveals her deep appreciation and respect for all life, and the need to protect our natural resources. The artist maintains a wildlife sanctuary outside her studio where birds are brought to her in various stages of disability. Under her care, they often recover and are able to be returned to the wild. In the meantime, she uses the birds as models for many of her paintings. This opportunity to study them at close range helps Richardson capture a lifelike portrayal of each subject in her work.

She was the first woman painter to receive the "Art Print of the Year" award.Anne Worsham Richardson has her own art gallery called Birds I View in downtown Charleston.

Anne Richardson was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.