Daniel Smith 

Is one of America's foremost wildlife artists. Smith enjoys wide acclaim for
 his spectacular depictions of landscapes and wildlife as well as his conservation stamp artwork. An ardent supporter of wildlife conservation, Smith feels indebted to the natural world that has provided him with the sole inspiration for his award-winning career.

 Daniel Smith began his career designing conservation stamps. After winning the first Minnesota Pheasant Stamp Competition in 1983, Smith, who had been working as a commercial artist, was able to begin painting full time. Smith won the 1988-89 Federal Duck Stamp Competition and went on to be the artist for the 1991 Texas Waterfowl Stamp, the 1991 Minnesota Duck Stamp, and the 1991 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Conservation Stamp and Print Program.

 Smith's global prominence in the world of wildlife art has afforded him the honor of creating the original artwork for several international programs as well. In 1989, he created the image for Australia's First of Nation Duck Stamp, which helped raise funds for the Australian Wetlands Conservation Project. Smith was also the creator of the United Kingdom's 1991 First of Nation Duck Stamp, a benefit for The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, which was founded by the late Sir Peter Scott. Overall, Daniel Smith has designed more than 30 duck stamps in his illustrious career.

 Daniel Smith's concerns, however, extend beyond his artwork. Environmental issues have become increasingly significant to Daniel Smith, who has used his art to endorse and aid many conservation efforts. He believes in the need for a global policy regarding the world's natural resources. Smith says, "The ever-increasing demands of mankind are taxing our natural ecosystems as never before. If action is not taken soon, we may well be faced with a global crisis that is irreversible."

 The detail and scientific accuracy of Daniel Smith's artwork has caught the eyes of organizations such as the National Geographic Society, who commissioned him
 to paint 5 color plates for The Field Guide to the Birds of North America and the prestigious "Birds in Art" exhibition sponsored by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

 Daniel Smith was named Ducks Unlimited International Artist of the Year in 1988 and in 2002. In 1996, Dan was inducted into the U.S. Art Hall of Fame due to his great popularity among print collectors. In 1996, Smith also received the People's Choice Award and Master Palette Award at the Masterworks in Miniature Show at Gallery One in Mentor, Ohio. At the 1997 Florida Wildlife Art Expo, Smith was named the Artist of the Year; and in 2003, Daniel Smith received 3 prestigious awards from the Society of Animal Artists: an Award of Excellence, The Leonard J. Meiselman Award for a Realistic Painting Executed in an Academic Manner, and The Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum Purchase Award.

 Today, Daniel Smith lives in the mountains of southwest Montana where he is
 surrounded by North American wildlife that inspires him to paint. Daniel Smith's paintings of nature have been published by Mill Pond Press since 1978.