“National Parks Illustrations 1978 through 2016” will be on display 9:00am -5pm, Monday –Friday at the Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village through September 2nd, 2016. The exhibition is free to the public. An opening reception followed by an artist’s presentation will be held on Thursday, August 11th in the Great Room of Volcano Art Center’s Administrative offices. The reception begins at 6:00 pm with the presentation beginning at 7:00 pm.

Celebrated United States Postal Service Nature in America Stamp Artist Shares His Life’s Work relating to The National Park Service

Volcano Art Center will be displaying the illustrations of Big Island wildlife artist John D. Dawson in an exhibit titled “National Parks Illustrations 1978 through 2016”. This exhibition features illustrations and natural history studies designed for the National Parks Service over a 20 year period. The exhibition helps celebrate the 100th anniversary for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the National Park Service.

Over the past three decades, Dawson has completed major assignments and appeared in national publications for the National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, Audubon Society, United Nations and the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, among many others including private commissions.

Along with a stunning collection of art on display inside the Kilauea Visitor Center at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, one of Dawson’s proudest accomplishments is the Nature in America stamp series created for the United States Postal Service. The final installment of this series issued on September 1, 2010 – a lively depiction of The Hawaiian Rainforest – is a special reflection of the island beauty Dawson and his wife Kathleen have enjoyed as residents of Hilo for the past 20 years.