John Agnew is a painter of nature. His hyper-realistic style evolved from 30 years of experience as an illustrator, muralist and exhibit designer for natural history museums and zoos around the country and as far away as Moscow. Since the early 80’s, John has produced over thirty thousand square feet of murals and dioramas for Cincinnati area museums, zoo and parks, and for museum and zoos aroud the country and as far away as Moscow, Russia. In addition, he has gained an international reputation for his smaller paintings of natural history subjects. His paintings and prints are represented in collections all over the world.

John is a Distinguished Signature member and a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Animal Artists. He is also a Master Scratchboard Artist of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists. In 2001, North Light Books published John’s book, “Painting the Secret World of Nature.” He has also published prints of his work and magazine articles about his work and techniques. He’s been named Artist in Residence for two national parks, has won numerous awards for his work in national juried shows, and has a show of his scratchboard art touring museums around the country. The US State Department has displayed his work in US Embassies in other parts of the world.

“While I intend for my paintings to be accurate representations of nature, I believe that under every good realist painting, there is a good abstract. Nature is ultimately the inspiration for every artist, but beyond seeing beautiful patterns and colors, I also see fascinating stories. “