John N. Agnew, Dry Fork After a Rain, 2009
Para não deixar de amar-te nunca
Saberás que não te amo e que te amo
pois que de dois modos é a vida,
a palavra é uma asa do silêncio,
o fogo tem a sua metade de frio.
Amo-te para começar a amar-te,
para recomeçar o infinito
e para não deixar de amar-te nunca:
por isso não te amo ainda.
Amo-te e não te amo como se tivesse
nas minhas mãos a chave da felicidade
e um incerto destino infeliz.
O meu amor tem duas vidas para amar-te.
Por isso te amo quando não te amo
e por isso te amo quando te amo.
in "Cem Sonetos de Amor"
John N. Agnew
"While my composition and forms are often inspired by abstract expressionism, my paintings strive for total realism. Underneath there may be an abstract, but the result is a narrative. It could be about light, texture or form, or it could be all about the animal portrayed. My goal is to let the viewer in on the multiple levels of interest and details in the natural world." - John N. Agnew
John N. Agnew was born in Dayton, Ohio. His parents met in art school, so he had an early exposure to the art world. Despite this influence, his early interests lead to dinosaurs and reptiles, and plans to become a zoologist. This course was nurtured by the Dayton Museum of Natural History, where he went through the museum`s nature lore classes and as a high school student landed a job in the museum`s "Junior Curator" program, caring for the live reptile display.
When his artistic talents were discovered, he moved to the museum`s exhibits department where he made models and painted diorama backgrounds. Deciding that exhibits let him enjoy the best of science and art, he realized that museum exhibits would be his career choice. He pursued a degree in Fine Arts while taking as many science electives as he could.
After graduation 1976, his first job was as Curator of Exhibits at the Science Museum of Palm Beach County. The Florida Everglades was nearby, and Miami offered a convenient jumping off point for the Caribbean and Central America. His interest in the tropics grew until he knew that painting the natural world was his true calling. He left the museum position, and began painting full time in 1983.
His contacts with the museum world continued, and some of his largest commissions came from museums and zoos. John estimates that he has painted over 25,000 square feet of murals for the Cincinnati Zoo and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, plus mural projects as far away as the Moscow Zoo in Russia. His favorite work has been doing dinosaur reconstructions in murals. He has produced murals of dinosaurs for the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History,The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC.
John Agnew`s work in museums and zoos has fostered a dedication to authenticity in his paintings. He has an international reputation for his photo-realistic portrayals of the lesser known and lesser loved animals, especially reptiles and amphibians. His paintings and prints are in collections around the world; the USA, Canada, Belize, UK, Norway, Switzerland, Russia, Malaysia, Australia, and others. John`s landscapes, inspired by his diorama work in museums, are in demand, and he has exhibited numerous times in shows like "Arts for the Parks." The US State Department has borrowed three of his national park landscapes for display in the US Embassy in Minsk, Belarus in 2007, and at the US Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica in 2008. John`s realistic paintings of birds have been displayed in numerous shows including "Birds In Art" at the Leigh Yawkey Woodsen Art Museum, and he provided several color plates for "A Field Guide to the Birds of the Philippines."
In 2009, John was named Artist In Residence for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and won the "Patricia A. Bott Award for Creative Excellence" from the Society of Animal Artists. In 2007, John won the $10,000 Grand Prize in "Paint the Parks," a national juried show of art concerning our national parks, sponsored by Paint America (www.paintamerica.org). The winning painting was "Looking For The Shore," displayed in this portfolio. He also received the "Award of Excellence" in 2007's "Art and the Animal," the annual show of the Society of Animal Artists. In 2001, North Light Books published John`s book, "Painting the Secret World of Nature," a complete guide to John`s techniques. He is a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists, a member of Artists For Conservation, and a founding member of Masterworks for Nature, from its beginnings as "Wildlife 2000" in 1999.
RECENT AWARDS AND SHOWS
"Hamilton County Parks en Plain Aire" Sharon Woods Park, October 17-29, 2009. One-man show
Society of Animal Artists 2009, "The Patricia A. Bott Award for Creative Excellence"
Named "Artist In Residence" at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for 2009
Award winner, Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit 2008
US Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica 2007
"Paint the Parks," National Grand Prize Winner 2007
US Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica
Stagg Award, Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit 2006
US Embassy, Minsk, Belarus 2006
Birds In Art, 2005
Art For The Parks 2005
Masterworks for Nature Show, Greenacres Foundation Art Center
(Daqui)
Galeria de John N. Agnew
John N. Agnew, Inside the Garden Loop, Glenwood Gardens
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