John Audubon is undoubtedly the greatest American naturalist-artist who ever lived. (Page 17 of source no. 4) He was intrigued by the natural world and at the same time appreciated the elegant sensation that painting gave him. While he is not the first artist to attempt to paint and depict all of America's birds, “he has been the dominant wildlife artist in young country for over half a century. Audubon used his artistic skills to portray American birds in their natural habitat. His knowledge of birds, the environment and artistic practices made his work extremely different from others. Through his art he reveals an intense affection for birds using a scientific and objective approach. His passion for exploring the beauty of birds and the nature that surrounded them led him to create paintings that are well known today. The natural world and scenes of everyday life are common themes portrayed throughout his works. Audubon was born on April 26, 1785 in the French colony of Saint-Domingue. (now Haiti). JJA was the son of the intelligent Jean Audubon, a French naval officer, naval captain, and sugar plantation owner. (Source #4 page 17) His mother was a French maid from the village of Mazures who died about six months after his birth. It was when JJA was in middle school that he began skipping class to wander the wilderness and pursue his passion of painting what he saw. With his father's guidance and help, JJA began drawing "feathered tribes". His father emphasized the birds' "elegant movements and the beauty and softness of their plumage" (page 18 of source no. 4). In 1803, his father sent him to America to check out his family's property in Mill Grove in Philadelphia. It was then that JJA immediately discovered... half the paper's devotion... to his vision with inscriptions and layers of materials crafted with great variety, from masterfully broad strokes to exquisite detail. They reveal his working process and how he arrived at his groundbreaking compositions, which for the first time in world history depict life-size birds and their diverse lifestyles. Audubon encapsulated the spirit of young America and was a person of unforgettable strength and endurance, as well as a determined observer of birds and nature. He was also interested in the conservation of the birds he studied and was an advocate for protecting birds and their habitats from destruction. John James Audubon died on January 27, 1851 in New York due to poor health. It is very fitting that we carry his name and legacy today because many of his beliefs remain important today and into the future.