The work of a nationally-known wildlife artist is now on display at the Roger Tory Peterson Institutein Jamestown. Bob Hines is remembered as one of the great wildlife artists and illustrators of the 20th century. As WBFO's Eileen Buckley reports, his work is now part of one the biggest exhibits in the institute's history.
"He started out as a boy scout in Ohio and his experience with the scouts acquainted him with the natural beauty of Ohio," said Dr. John Juriga, an expert on wildlife art who is a Hines scholar and biographer who lives in Elmira, N.Y.
Hines was well known for his artwork with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Duck Stamp programas part of the country's conservation movement. As a boy, Hines had a backyard menagerie of animals that provided him a close up look of wildlife.
"And the close observation of these animals gave him insight into pose and plumage and posture, also into the individuality of animals," said Juriga
After graduating from high school, during the early Depression years, Hines taught himself taxidermy.
Juriga noted that this all led Hines to join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1947 where he worked with Rachel Carson and contributed to the conservation work for the Federal Duck Stamp that generated $700 million to protect habitat for waterfowl.
"His dedication to the Federal Duck Stamp contest promoted the genre of wildlife art while advancing the aims of conservation throughout the Americas," Juriga noted.
But amazingly, Hines had no formal art training.
"And also he was able to deal with drama into a single freeze frame image, so many of his paintings depict a story or drama," said Juriga.
WBFO asked Juriga what is his favorite work created by Hines.
"It’s tough to chose a favorite. I have had some current wildlife artists, who comment on Hines’s black and white pencil drawings and pen and ink drawings, and indeed he was a fine draftsman when it comes to stark black and white, but my favorite is his color pieces," said Juriga.
Hines died in 1994 following an extensive career as a wildlife artists.