Terry Avon Redlin (July 11, 1937 – April 24, 2016) was an American

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

popular for painting outdoor themes and wildlife, often pictured in twilight. During the 1990s he was frequently named "America's most popular artist" in annual gallery surveys conducted by ''U.S. Art'' magazine.

Early life and career

Redlin was born and raised in Watertown, South Dakota. He originally planned to become a forest ranger, but at 15 was disabled in a motorcycle accident. In 1967 Redlin and his family moved to Forest Lake, Minnesota. He earned a degree from the St. Paul School of Associated Arts in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, and spent 25 years working in

commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...

as a layout artist,

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

and

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

. Redlin's painting ''Winter Snows'' appeared on the cover of ''The Farmer'' magazine in 1977. Two years later, he became a full-time illustrator. He retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

that proved to be caused by

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. In addition to individual works, Redlin produced series of paintings on the first stanza of "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...

" (1992) and on the life of an American boy, based on his own life (''An American Portrait'', 2004).

Honors

Redlin was many times in the 1990s named "America's most popular artist" in ''U.S. Art'' magazine's annual surveys of gallery sales. In 1992 the magazine inducted him into its hall of fame. He won the

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Duck Stamp contest twice and the state trout stamp contest once, and in 1982 came second in the Federal Duck Stamp contest.

Legacy

Built in 1997, the Redlin Art Center in Watertown is devoted to his works. The Terry Redlin Environmental Center, also in Watertown, opened in 2010; Redlin was known for his donations to raise funds for conservation, including a record $28 million for Ducks Unlimited. The Terry Redlin Elementary School in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, opened in 1998, was named in his honor.

Personal life

He married Helene Marie Langenfeld in 1956, when they were both 19 years old; they had three children. Redlin died at a retirement home in Watertown, South Dakota on April 24, 2016, at the age of 78.

References

External links

https://wildwings.com/pages/terry-redlin-1
Official Terry Redlin website

1937 births 2016 deaths People from Watertown, South Dakota 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters Artists from South Dakota 20th-century American male artists {{US-illustrator-stub