John Seerey-Lester Born 1945
With work hanging at the White House and in
permanent, private and Museum collections, through
out the world, John Seerey-Lester, (The Godfather of
Wildlife Art) has become one of the most renowned
wildlife and plein air artists in the world today. Since
moving to America over 25 years ago and making it his
base of operation, he has continued to travel the world
in search of images. Preferring to paint from life, he has
visited such diverse locations as Africa, China (where
he painted the rare Giant Panda in the wild), India, The
Arctic and Antarctica as well as Central and South
America. It was a visit to East Africa over 30 years ago
that give birth to his interest in wildlife. Before this, in
his native England, John gained enormous popularity
through his paintings of nostalgic scenes of Victorian
and Edwardian times. Now he has combined that early
fascination for historic themes with his continuing
interest in wildlife to capture in paint, the golden age of
the White Hunter and hunting heritage of North
America. In a new series of paintings John is revisiting
the late 1800's and early 1900's in what is becoming his
most successful work. John has gained a reputation
over the years for producing images with a mysterious
and a mystical appeal, now he has taken this skill to
produce a remarkable series of paintings depicting
historic hunts and safari legends. These will eventually
be featured in a limited edition book.
Today he lives in Florida, with his wife and fellow wildlife
artist Suzie whom he married in January 2000 on
Useppa Island, in Southwest Florida. Mention the name
Seerey-Lester to a fan of wildlife art and you'll more
often than not get an excited response. The art of John
Seerey-Lester has had that effect on his following since
his entry on the art scene nearly thirty years ago. Not
only is his work recognized world-wide for his depiction
of large mammals and birds of prey, but his skill and
unmistakable style have become easily identifiable to
art fans, novices and experts alike.
Before painting wildlife, John painted figurative works
and portraiture, which he still undertakes. On his
travels to different parts of the world, he continues to
do figurative work between his wildlife paintings.
World-renowned artist, John Seerey-Lester was born in
Manchester, England where he grew up with a
sketchbook in hand. Receiving his first commission at
the early age of 13, John became a professional artist
in 1974. For some ten years prior to this, John was a
journalist, freelance writer, editor of several magazines
and worked in advertising and public relations in both
the private sector and local government in the UK.
It was in 1980, after making his first trip to East Africa,
that John began painting images of the natural world.
His respect for the work of fellow English artist, David
Shepherd, heavily influenced his decision to travel to
Africa and paint wildlife. This became a turning point in
his career.
In 1982 John moved to the United States. He signed
with Mill Pond Press the following year. Since then he
has had some 300 limited edition prints published.
Many of these have sold out within days of release.
Demand for his original works has become stronger
each year.
John's images have a mysterious and a mystical
appeal, directly related to his ability to paint the
unusual. His skill in painting mist, and snow, as
evidenced in Polar Lookout, and wildlife in subdued
light, such as Out of the Darkness Into the Light, or Dark
Presence, has created a demand for his ability as a
painter that has few rivals. Not many artists display the
ability to paint wildlife in all the natural elements.
Seerey-Lester's imaginative designs are always an
anticipated aspect, as experienced in a recent release
of Full Moon Rising - Leopard Where else, but through
his art, could you see such a brilliant occurrence.
His paintings of the North American grizzlies of Alaska
are among the best of the species ... the limited edition
prints of his first offerings have long gone and are
coveted.
With his personal ambition for first-hand experience,
it's easy for students to realize his acumen for
capturing mood and anatomical accuracy.
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John has received many awards and much recognition
for his outstanding achievements in the field of wildlife
art. He was presented to His Royal Highness Prince
Phillip and was commended for his work in conservation.
He has been chosen to exhibit works in the prestigious
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's "Birds in Art" and
"Wildlife: An Artist's View", shows each year since 1983
and his paintings are in their permanent collection. He
has also displayed in several other Museums such as
the Gilcrease Museum, and National Museum of Wildlife
Art, and in many other permanent collections such as
Bennington Center for the Arts, and Nature in Art
Museum. John was Artist of the Year for Miniature '85,
Artist of the Year for Pac Rim wildlife Art Show (1990),
Artist of the Year for Florida Wildlife Expo (1996), Artist of
the Year for the 7th Annual South East Invitational
Miniature Show (1999), Artist of the Year for Celebration
Weekend and presented with the Key to the City of Troy
Ohio (2001), Artist of the Year, for Reflections of Nature
(2002). The Society of Animal Artists presented John with
the Award of Excellence and the Patricia Allen Bott Award
for his Mara River Horse (2002), and again in (2006) for
"White On White".
In 2004, John was the Artist of the Year for the
Southeastern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, SC. John is a
member of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA), Oil
Painters of America (OPA), The Wildlife Artists
Association (WAA), and a founding member of Southern
Plein Air Artists (SPAA). He has appeared in numerous
magazines and books on Wildlife art.
John has traveled all over the world in search of the
magnificent wildlife he portrays on canvas. He prefers to
paint only wildlife subjects he has seen firsthand. He has
traveled to most parts of Canada, Alaska, China, Africa,
Antarctica, South and Central America, India, and Nepal.
A book on his life and work was published by Mill Pond
Press and released in November 1991. The book, Face
to Face with Nature: The Art of John Seerey-Lester, sold
out in 1995. A second book titled Impressions of India
and Nepal, based on his fieldwork there, was published
soon after. His latest book Painting Wildlife with John
Seerey-Lester, which was published in 2003, has also
sold out. His new book "Useppa A Passage in Time" was
published in October 2007. "Useppa" has won the silver
metal from IPPY for outstanding historical fiction.
As well as being widely regarded as an artist, John is an
excellent teacher. John's workshops and Master Classes
have become a success because he not only teaches
students in a classroom setting; he works with them in
the field. As a teacher, he paints alongside students and
allows them to learn directly from him. John has a way of
taking neither his work nor himself too seriously; thus he
conveys information in an interesting and sometimes
humorous fashion. As one workshop student put it, "I've
never learned so much, and simultaneously had so
much fun, in all my educational experiences."
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