Ron Louque was born in New Orleans, LA, and now lives in Charlottesville, VA. While growing up
in south Louisiana, he was introduced to the beauties of nature through hunting and fishing, and by
age nine he was enrolled in a taxidermy correspondence course. This art-form became a passion
for the young outdoorsman, and it soon led him deeper into the world of birds and animals that
inhabited the swamps of his bayou homeland. While mounting hundred's of specimens during his
teenage years, Louque's interest in the natural world deepened, and eventually lead him to his
formal study of nature. He entered Louisiana State University as a forestry/wildlife major in 1970,
but he soon switched to zoology and ornithology, a curriculum more suited to his interest....Birds.
Louque's introduction to art came in 1972 through the curator of the L.S.U. Museum of Natural
History, P. Ambrose Daigre. 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 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. The renowned Texas artist, Dalhart Windberg, has warmly
praised Louque for his proficiency as seen in the refined technique of his paintings.
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.
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 reflected 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 by the late 1980's.
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
37 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, Plow & Hearth, and others. He is most
revered for his record of 28 State Conservation Stamp designs, 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-six 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. His stamp paintings have helped in raising millions of dollars
for conservation. 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 this 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".
in south Louisiana, he was introduced to the beauties of nature through hunting and fishing, and by
age nine he was enrolled in a taxidermy correspondence course. This art-form became a passion
for the young outdoorsman, and it soon led him deeper into the world of birds and animals that
inhabited the swamps of his bayou homeland. While mounting hundred's of specimens during his
teenage years, Louque's interest in the natural world deepened, and eventually lead him to his
formal study of nature. He entered Louisiana State University as a forestry/wildlife major in 1970,
but he soon switched to zoology and ornithology, a curriculum more suited to his interest....Birds.
Louque's introduction to art came in 1972 through the curator of the L.S.U. Museum of Natural
History, P. Ambrose Daigre. 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 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. The renowned Texas artist, Dalhart Windberg, has warmly
praised Louque for his proficiency as seen in the refined technique of his paintings.
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.
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 reflected 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 by the late 1980's.
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
37 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, Plow & Hearth, and others. He is most
revered for his record of 28 State Conservation Stamp designs, 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-six 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. His stamp paintings have helped in raising millions of dollars
for conservation. 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 this 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".
| Ron Louque Artist Naturalist |
| A Young Boy's Passion For Nature Leads To Fame |
