Outdoorsman .. Taxidermist Musician
From The Louisiana Bayou
To The Mountains
Of Virginia
Louque's introduction to art came in 1972 through the curator of the L.S.U. Museum of Natural History. Later he was introduced to two artist-ornithologists John O'Neill and Douglas Pratt who were zoology graduate students as well as proficient bird painters. From them he learned the important techniques of bird illustration which have led him to his current status as a world champion waterfowl stamp artist. Later he met the famous internationally acclaimed Russian-German realist artist, Adolf Sehring who was instrumental in helping him to understand the importance of light and composition in his paintings. Landscape master Dalhart Windberg has warmly praised Louque for his proficiency as seen in the refined technique of his paintings.
In 1974 Louque began his career as a professional artist. He was immediately seen as the new "Audubon", French-Cajun style, and his early work reflects that influence. His paintings, combining anatomical accuracy as well as sheer beauty, led to his becoming one of the top five duck and conservation stamp artists in the nation.
In 1973 Louque spent three months camping in the remote areas of the Peruvian Andes with ornithologist-artist John O'Neill during a field research expedition for the LSU Museum of Natural History. While there, the team collected and preserved over fifteen hundred specimens, including one that was new to science, a tanager found near the 8,000 foot elevation on the eastern slopes of the cloud forest..
Moving to Virginia in 1983, Louque began to paint the landscapes and wildlife habitats of the Mid-Atlantic and Blue Ridge Mountains. He has developed his multifaceted artistic style over the past 34 years to include not only Audubon-like bird and mammal paintings, but also European inspired landscapes, figurative portraits and still lives, a versatility that is difficult to achieve.
Since the beginning of his art career in 1974, Louque's work has brought him national recognition and awards. These have included the Ward Foundation's World Champion Wildfowl Master title in 1984, American Masters Foundation Recipient in 1978, numerous magazine covers including Ducks Unlimited, Audubon, Louisiana Conservationist, and others. He is most revered for His record of 27 State Conservation Stamp Art Contest wins, and his crowning achievement of winning the 2002 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest. Ron entered the federal contest for the first time in 1973 and had placed in the top finalists many times before winning first place in 2002.
Over the past thirty-four years, Louque has exhibited his paintings in 88 cities in the U.S. and has issued 86 limited edition prints selling over 106,000 prints. He is also a conservation-minded person, and is thankful to the many organizations across the U.S. that have worked to preserve our natural resources over the past 100 years. He states, "Preserving our God given environment and our wildlife resources is vital to our quality of life on this planet. We can no longer take these gifts of nature for granted".
Ron Louque is inspired by the beauty of nature and so he paints it with fidelity in honor of the Creator. "To portray with paint and canvas the Lord's magnificent creation is a priviledge that I do not take lightly. I am in a constant state of awe and wonder as I observe the power, beauty, majesty and diversity of life forms and habitats of the planet earth".