Hello Everyone today will be heading into art, by talking about an artist who was once a storekeeper and self-trained in many other talents, the French-American artist; John James Audubon from the Thought and Culture Section in Story of America Cards.

(Who is John James Audubon?)

John James Audubon, born as Jean-Jacques Rabin, was a French-American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictorial record of all the bird species of North America.He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations, which depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book titled The Birds of America (1827-1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed.

(From Storekeeper to Artist)

He was a storekeeper, tutor, artist, portrait painter and music teacher. But most of all, John James Audubon was a tireless student, whose careful attention to detail earned him a place of honor among the world's naturalists.

Although most people think of Audubon as American, he was born in Les Cayes, Saint Domingo (Now Haiti) on April 26th 1785. The son of a French sea captain, he was taken to France as a young man to study art. He did not see the United States until 1803, when his father sent him to live near Philadelphia and urged him to enter the business world.

Instead, Audubon spent most of his time studying and drawing birds, In 1808, he married Lucy Bakewell, who encouraged him in his bird studies.

After a disastrous fling at storekeeping and other business ventures in and around Louisville, Kentucky, Audubon found himself sailing down the Mississippi River towards New Orleans.

On the way, he began to paint the birds he saw about him, painstakingly duplicating every color of every beak, leaf and tree limb, making all as true to life as possible.

It was these lifelike paintings of birds in their natural surroundings that would eventually bring him fame and fortune.

After some time in Louisiana, where he supported his family as a tutor and teacher, Audubon conceived the idea for a collection of paintings of American birds. But, to his surprise and disappointment, no American Publisher was interested.

So he took his idea to England and Scotland, where his genius was instantly recognized by scientists and art critics.

As a result, his first volume of paintings was published in 1827 under the title The Birds of America. For the next 12 years, Audubon worked on this great publishing venture, which eventually comprised more than 400 life-sized color engravings.

Returning to the United States in 1839, Audbubon lived in New York City and threw himself into the preparation of a smaller edition of The Birds of America and other important bird studies.

He died on January 27th 1851. Today, Audubon's name is famous the world over, The National Audubon Society, founded in his honor in 1905, is the oldest and largest national conservation organization in North America.

It was responsible for a treaty between England, Canada, and the United States that protects the flight patterns and nesting places of migratory birds.

Its controlled bird sanctuaries are located all over the world, each one a living tribute to a dedicated scientist.

(The Art and Methods developed by Audubon)

Audubon developed his own methods for drawing birds. First, he killed them using a fine shot. (Yes you heard and read that he killed them first before painting, he ain't no bird watcher but hey it helps him paint i guess and they didn't really have cameras although they wouldn't really have colors either). 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. This was in stark contrast to the stiff representations of birds by his contemporaries, such as Alexander Wilson. Audubon based his paintings on his extensive field observations. He worked primarily with watercolor early on. He added colored chalk or pastel to add softness to feathers, especially those of owls and herons.

He employed multiple layers of watercoloring, and sometimes used gouache. All species were drawn life size which accounts for the contorted poses of the larger birds as Audubon strove to fit them within the page size. Smaller species were usually placed on branches with berries, fruit, and flowers. He used several birds in a drawing to present all views of anatomy and wings.

Larger birds were often placed in their ground habitat or perching on stumps. At times, as with woodpeckers, he combined several species on one page to offer contrasting features. He frequently depicted the birds' nests and eggs, and occasionally natural predators, such as snakes. He usually illustrated male and female variations, and sometimes juveniles. In later drawings, Audubon used assistants to render the habitat for him. In addition to faithful renderings of anatomy, Audubon also employed carefully constructed composition, drama, and slightly exaggerated poses to achieve artistic as well as scientific effects.

(Ending)

And that's my history info for John James Audunon, I hope you liked it and I'll see you next time in my other Story of America cards.