FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 13, 2015
Media contact: Lydia Saldaña
817.851.5729
lsaldana@tpwf.org
Noted Texas Artist Partners with Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation
DALLAS-Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) is partnering with renowned Fort Worth artist Billy Hassell on a limited edition lithograph series that will benefit Keeping it Wild: The Campaign for Texas. The Keeping it Wild campaign is the largest fundraising initiative ever undertaken by TPWF and aims to raise more than $100 million for strategic conservation priorities by 2018.
The series will include a set of five editions of 30 prints each, as well as a boxed set of all five lithographs. The first lithograph celebrates an early highlight of the Keeping it Wild campaign, the conservation of Powderhorn Ranch.
First lithograph in series: Powderhorn Ranch
Powderhorn Ranch is home to a great variety of birds and native grasses and is one of the last remaining tracts of unspoiled coastal prairie left in Texas. Hassell made several trips to the ranch and the resulting artwork is a composite of several perspectives, featuring striking colorful images of birds, a Hassell hallmark.
“For the setting I chose what I consider to be one of the ranch’s most distinctive features – tall grasses at the edge of water looking out over a mosaic of grassy islands as far as the eye can see,” said Hassell. “I included as many birds of concern as I could fit in the frame. I’m pleased to be part of this project because it’s important that we conserve the precious natural heritage we have before it slips away and to acknowledge and appreciate the work being done to achieve that goal.”
The first edition will be showcased at an exhibition of Hassell’s work at William Campbell Contemporary Art in Fort Worth on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 p.m. Subsequent editions will feature iconic locations and species in other parts of the state and will be released periodically throughout the next two years, with the final edition set to be released in the spring of 2017.
“Billy Hassell brings an artist’s eye to the wild things and wild places that are so precious to Texas,” said Kelly R. Thompson, chair of TPWF’s board of trustees. “We hope these beautiful lithographs will inspire Texans to support the campaign.”
Keeping it Wild: The Campaign for Texas was launched in March of 2014 and has raised more than $70 million to date. For more information about the campaign, please visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation website at tpwf.org or contact Anne Brown at 214-720-1478.
Galleries that will carry the Keeping it Wild lithographs include:
Conduit Gallery, Dallas
www.conduitgallery.com
William Campbell Contemporary Art, Fort Worth
http://www.williamcampbellcontemporaryart.com
William Reaves Fine Art, Houston
reavesart.com
Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) has leveraged public funds with private philanthropy to advance Texas’ proud outdoor traditions and conserve our state’s wildlife, habitat, recreational areas, and natural resources. Since its inception, TPWF has raised more than $100 million to help ensure that all Texans, today and in the future, can enjoy the wild things and wild places of Texas.
All TPWF news releases available online: tpwf.org/media/press-releases
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