Member's News: _______________________________
"The Great Ohio Wilderness and its Native People"
Mary Louise Holt,
Saturday, May 8, 2010 4-7pm Lecture and opening reception, exhibit open until August 27
Location: Lioyd Library and Museum 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
"The Great Ohio Wilderness and its Native People" Mary Louise Holt will exhibit her original paintings depicting the wildlife, landscape and indigenous people that once thrived on the Ohio lands before European settlement. The opening reception on February 6 will include a lecture by the artist.
Contact Info: 513-721 3707, www.lloydlibrary.org
September, 2009, John Agnew was awarded the "Patricia A. Bott Award for Creative Excellence" at the Society of Animal Artists annual show, "Art and the Animal," for his scratchboard portrait of a New Guinea crocodile.
March, 2009, John Agnew was named Artist In Residence for 2009 at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan.
December 20, 2008 Mary Lou Holt at Fort Ancient, Warren County
In the pre-dawn hours on December 20, 2008 sixty volunteers from the Greater Cincinnati area joined historical artist, Mary Louise Holt, to reenact the Winter Solstice Ceremony. This annual event was practiced by the Hopewell Indians on the Fort Ancient site 2000 years ago. It is believed that the Hopewells set one of the mounds ablaze to greet the sunrise. With camera in hand the artist recorded every detail of the mock ceremony. The photos provided visual references for the artist to help her create a large painting depicting the event as archeologists believe it happened during Hopewell times. The completed painting will be part of the permanent exhibits displayed at the Fort Ancient Museum.
December 2008, Masterworks members John Ruthven and Chris Walden were each asked to create an ornament for the White House Christmas tree.
In March, 2008 member John Agnew traveled to Thailand to attend a meeting of the Tomistoma Task Force, a group dedicated to the conservation of the False Gavial. A giclee print of the painting of Tomistoma by John Agnew was presented to the workshop host, Uthen Youngprapakorn.
In January 2008, member John Agnew traveled to the Peruvian Amazon to photograph and paint Amazonian wildlife.
In January 2008, Masterworks members John Ruthven, Devere Burt and John Agnew joined others for an expedition to the swamps of northern Florida to look for Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers. They were believed extinct for 60 years, but were rediscovered in Arkansas in 2004. Masterworks had the good fortune to spot an Ivory-Bill! See John Agnew's account of the sighting at: http://herps2art.wordpress.com/ scroll to the bottom of the page for the original Ivory-Bill sighting.
In July 2007, John Agnew won the $10,000 Grand Prize in the "Paint the Parks," a national juried show of work about the National Parks. Sponsored by the Paint America Foundation (www.paintamerica.org).
In October of 2007, John Agnew received the "Award of Excellence" in the Society of Animal Artists annual show, "Art and the Animal," which opened at the Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colorado October 17, 2007.
Masterworks for Nature (MWFN) is a group of wildlife and landscape artists of national acclaim with a common passion for nature. Through the exhibition and sale of their artwork, which depicts natural subjects, the group of fifteen painters and sculptors strives to increase awareness and educate the public about the natural world and provide funding for conservation efforts. A few of the non-profit organizations which have benefitted from MWFN support include Hamilton County Parks, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens and the Greenacres Art Center. As of 2007, MWFN has helped to raise approximately $1.2 million for conservation efforts during their fund raising galas. For more information, visit "http://www.masterworksfornature.org" www.masterworksfornature.org or call (513) 232-0954.