Rulon, Bart: - Born in 1968, Bart Rulon lives and works on Whidbey Island in Washington State. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky in a self-made biological illustration major. After graduating with honors, he started a career as a professional wildlife artist and never looked back. From the start, a hallmark of Bart's career has always been the amount of time he spends in the field researching wildlife. He enjoys going the extra mile to photograph and research something unique and he often uses a sea kayak, camouflaged floating blind, or a custom-made photography boat in order to get closer to his subjects for a more intimate view. Over the years, Rulon's travels have taken him on long photography/research trips to Africa, India, South America, Alaska, and Costa Rica, and he has traveled all over the contiguous United States and Canada. He's inspired to share these wildlife adventures with the rest of the world through his art and photography. Bart has written and illustrated 5 art instruction books published by North Light Books, and he has been a contributing author/artist/photographer in over 12 additional books. His award-winning art has appeared in over 60 museums in the United States and abroad, and his artwork is included in the permanent collections of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the Laumeister Art Center, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Rulon's works are regularly included in many of the finest exhibitions displaying wildlife and landscape art in North America. His paintings have been included in twenty one exhibitions with the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, including eighteen times in their prestigious Birds in Art exhibit and one each in their Wildlife: The Artist's View, Natural Wonders, and Art and the Animal exhibits. His work has been chosen for the Society of Animal Artist's annual exhibition Art and the Animal fourteen times since he became a member. His paintings were included in the Arts for the Parks top 100 exhibition and national tour seven times, and in 1994 he won their Bird Art Award. The National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson Wyoming, invited Bart to participate in their Western Visions show for twelve years. He also teaches natural science illustration at the University of Washington and was awarded their Teaching Excellence Award in 2009. Ten years into his art career Rulon decided it was also time to start selling his photography, leading to the dual career he enjoys now. Afte