Roland H. Clark1874 - 1957
Born: April 2, 1874, New Rochelle, New York
Died: April 13, 1957
Roland Clark is particularly known for his oil paintings of sporting scenes and birds. He grew up hunting waterfowl in the marshes of the Long Island Sound and studied under J. Carroll Beckwith at the Art Students League. In 1919, the New York art dealer Philip Suval suggested that Clark experiment with drypoint. Soon after, drypoint became Clark's principle medium for which he acquired much critical acclaim. Clark traveled extensively on hunting trips, shooting and sketching different species of birds. When he returned to the studio, he transformed his sketches into etchings, producing over five hundred in his lifetime. In 1931, Clark wrote his first book, Stray Shots, which narrated and illustrated hunting experiences, including thirteen original drypoints. He published Gunner's Dawn in 1937, which again discussed hunting experiences, but this time included original drypoints, drawings, and reproductions of oil paintings. A year later, Clark was selected to create the 1938 Federal Duck Stamp Design. In that same year, he produced Roland Clark's Etchings with reproductions of 70 etchings. Compiling work from many years, this book was the pinnacle of his career.
In the National Museum of Wildlife Art's Redheads at Sunrise, a flock of birds are getting ready to land on a marshy beach at sunrise. The birds are silhouetted against the luminous and atmospheric sky. Extensively traveling to natural habitats, Clark observed birds with the keen eye of a hunter and artist. He achieved excellent precision in his reproductions of wing settings and flight formations of migratory fowl.
Clark was a member of Ducks Unlimited and The American Sporting Artists.