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Kiernan Hall Nature Art Gallery
Mary Lou Arnson, Wildlife Artist

January & February 2009
Opening Reception: January 3, 2009, Noon - 4 pm

Mary Lou Arnson was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. After graduating from high school, Mary Lou attended Elizabeth Seton Junior College in New York, Arizona State University and received her Bachelor of Science degree and Masters degree in Art Education at Southern Connecticut State University.

During her graduate studies, Mary Lou returned to painting after a twenty-five year hiatus. At the end of this course she painted her first wolf, which was an image that held a great fascination to her since she found out that it was the Native American symbol for teacher. It seemed to “appear” on the canvas effortlessly and with great joy and resolution. After that, Mary Lou completed another two independent studies with T. Wiley Carr painting wolves exclusively. Wanting to get her own images, she visited Wolf Park, Indiana, which is the only place in the United States that allows people to enter enclosures with wolves for photographic opportunities. Mrs. Arnson also attended a painting seminar with the famous wildlife painter Jan Martin McGuire at Wolf Park and learned many fine technical details of wolf anatomy, behaviors, habitats, and other necessary bits of information that are important when doing a realistic painting of a subject.

In October 2005, Mary Lou exhibited her work for the first time at The International Wolf Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Meeting with scientists, biologists and other educators was an enlightening experience and provided Mary Lou with more information in her attempt to educate the public about the plight of the wolf, the systematic extermination of this magnificent animal, and the critical implications of being placed on or removed from the endangered species list.

Currently, Mary Lou teaches art at an elementary school in Waterbury, Connecticut and resides with her husband Joe and her son Joey and two dogs in Middlebury, Connecticut.

The Kiernan Hall Nature Arts Gallery is located inside the Kimberlin Nature Education Center, open to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, every day of the week. Click here for directions to the center.