"Nature of America" Sheetlet Illustrator John Dawson Finishes Up Series

Big Island Video News reports the 12th and final of the 2010 Nature of America series, Hawaiian Rain Forest, was released earlier this week.

According to the report, stamp illustrator John Dawson, a resident of Hilo, commented at the first-day-of-issue ceremony in Hawaii, “For my wife Kathie and me, researching and illustrating the series over the last 14 years has been one of the most fantastic experiences in our careers. I was creating art from subjects I love and along the way we’ve forged wonderful friendships with this dream assignment.”

Dawson spent close to a year in the field researching, photographing, and sketching virtually all of the Hawaiian Rain Forest subjects prior to committing six months to creating the artwork.

The Nature of America series that featured John's illustrations include; the Sonoran Desert (1999), Pacific Coast Rain Forest (2000), Great Plains Prairie (2001), Longleaf Pine Forest (2002), Arctic Tundra (2003), Pacific Coral Reef (2004), Northeast Deciduous Forest (2005), Southern Florida Wetland (2006), Alpine Tundra (2007), Great Lakes Dunes (2008) and Kelp Forest (2009).

Dawson’s artwork has been featured in the pages of National Geographic magazine and wildlife books, as well as in national parks nationwide and a touring exhibition.

According to another article on the Hawai'i Magazine com website, his artwork is prominently featured at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visitor center in a series of educational panels (pictured, above, with Dawson) depicting the nine ecosystems found within the Big Island park.

For more on the sheetlet and to watch a video of John speaking at the ceremony, click here.

To visit John's Facebook page, click here.