1946 –
Wildlife artist, John Seerey-Lester travels the world extensively to study wildlife in its natural habitat so that he may paint those subjects which he has seen firsthand. A resident of Florida’s West Coast, Seerey-Lester was born in Manchester, England, and studied art at Salford Technical College in Lancashire, England. He worked in the fields of advertising and publishing before becoming a professional artist, and in 1980, after his first trip to East Africa, Seerey-Lester found his passion for wildlife. It was then that he decided to paint images of the natural world, and two years later, he moved to the United States.
Seerey-Lester has been honored with many awards. A one-man sell-out show in Great Britain, opened by renowned ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott, was held on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund. Seerey-Lester was also commended by His Royal Highness The Prince Philip for his wildlife conservation efforts. He has been selected to exhibit in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s prestigious “Birds in Art” and “Wildlife: An Artist’s View” shows each year since 1983. Seerey-Lester was honored as Ducks Unlimited Canada’s artist for their 50th Anniversary stamp and print program in 1988. The popular book of his art entitled, Face to Face with Nature: The Art of John Seerey-Lester, published by Mill Pond Press in 1991, sold out in 1995.
Seerey-Lester devotes much time and attention to the preservation of wilderness and wildlife. Many of his paintings and limited edition prints have aided nonprofit conservation organizations.