Monday, April 4, 2011

2011 New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival Logo Contest

The Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford Massachusetts has announced its annual design contest. Artists 16 years and older are invited to submit a creative design for the 2011 Festival. Designs will be used for the Festival t-shirt, poster and program guide.

Designs should convey festival’s emphasis on the commercial fishing industry, the working port and the 2011 theme. The winning entry will receive a $100 cash prize. Entries must be emailed by or postmarked no later than Monday, May 9th.The winning entry and designer will be announced at the June 9th AHA Night in Downtown New Bedford!

The theme of the 2011 event slated for September 24th and 25th, is Then and Now: Tradition and Innovation. Festival programming will explore cultural traditions in commercial fishing communities, pay tribute to industry innovators and consider how the industry has changed over time in terms of everything from technology to regulations.

Interested artists/designers are encouraged to visit the festival web site to learn more about the event and to download an application: www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

2011 Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Contest

Artist Jim Taylor’s painting entitled “Misty Autumn Sunrise” is the winner of the 2011-2012 Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest. The winning painting shows a pair of Canada Geese.

The entries were judged before a large crowd on March 26 at the 22nd Patuxent Wildlife Art Show, held at the National Wildlife Visitors Center in Laurel, Md.

Taylor has been a competing artist in Maryland’s Migratory Game Bird Stamp competition since the mid-1990s. This is the third time his entry was selected as the winning artwork. Taylor’s focus is on mid-Atlantic wildlife and includes exhibitions at the Havre de Grace Decoy Festival and Easton Waterfowl Festival.

The Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest is the fourth oldest in the country and is restricted to Maryland residents only. The event showcases the talents of Maryland’s wildlife art while raising funds for the conservation.

Migratory game bird hunters are required to purchase these $9 stamps and the proceeds are used to fund migratory game bird research and habitat enhancement on the state’s public lands. More than $6 million in stamp sales have been spent on migratory game projects since the beginning of the stamps in 1974.

source: MD DNR

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Fish and Seafood Icons of North America

Nautical icons are a vital part of American and Canadian cultures. Popular nautical icons include several fish and shellfish are found along the coasts of North America.

The Atlantic blue crab is an icon of the Chesapeake Bay. This crab is harvested by local fishermen and served locally or shipped to far away markets.

New England states such as Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are proud of their seafood industries and often feature the American lobster in nautical art.

In Oregon, the Dungeness crab is an icon of the state's seafood industry.

Nova Scotia's local economy is based upon fishing and other industrial production. The Atlantic cod has become an important icon of Nova Scotian culture.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Springtime Subjects for Nautical Art



For nautical artists, every season brings something new to inspire them. Springtime is a prime example as there are more aquatic activities than artists can possibly pursue.

Atlantic Coast beaches are always a good place for artists to find inspiration in the form of sea shells, wildlife and and other nautical subjects. After a winter of churned up ocean ocean waters, artists can visit beaches and seek out sea shells or other marine life that have been washed up.

Tide pools are another source of inspiration for artists. Clear springtime tidepools are home to an incredible array of marine life. For artists, creatures such as shorebirds, starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, anenomes, shrimp, mussels, crabs, minnows and other inhabitants are all waiting to be photographed, painted or captured with other media.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

2011 Colorado Junior Duck Stamp Program

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that Colorado students (K-12) are welcome to participate in the 2011 Junior Duck Stamp Program (JDS).

This free art and science program is designed to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl conservation to America’s youth. JDS participants employ scientific and wildlife observation principles to learn about the subject matter, and then communicate that knowledge visually by creating an entry to the JDS art contest.

This non-traditional pairing of subjects brings new interest to both the sciences and arts to students throughout the state, while fostering a greater awareness of and conservation ethic toward our nation’s natural resources.

The JDS contest begins each fall and proceeds through spring as students submit their artwork to their state coordinator.  Students at the state level are then judged in four groups, according to grade level. Three first, second, and third place entries are selected for each group.

A “best of show” is then selected by the judges from the first-place winners. Each state’s best of show is submitted to the Duck Stamp Office in Washington D.C., and entered into the national contest.

The first-place design from the national contest is used to create the official Junior Duck Stamp for the following year. These stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service for $5 each. Proceeds from sales support environmental education, and provide awards and scholarships for the students, teachers, and schools that participate in the program.

All entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2011. The award ceremony to honor the state winners and participating schools will be held at the Arvada Center on May 14, 2011.

For more details on how Colorado students, teachers, and schools in your area can participate in this fun educational program, contact Colorado State Coordinator Seth Beres at (303) 289-0867 or visit: http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ArtContest.htm

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service