JEFFREY KLINEFELTER WINS OHIO WETLANDS STAMP COMPETITION
Artwork of green-winged teal takes first place
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by Jeffrey Klinefelter |
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by Jeffrey Hoff |
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by Jocelyn Beatty |
COLUMBUS, OH - Artwork of a pair of green-winged teal by Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Indiana won first place in this year's Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp Design Competition, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Klinefelter’s painting will appear on the Ohio wetlands stamp issued in fall of 2008.
The winning entry was selected from a field of 34 original paintings submitted by artists from 16 states, including 14 entries by Ohio artists. The competition was held Saturday, February 24, at the annual Ducks Unlimited convention in Eastlake.
“I think it’s fantastic to win a prestigious competition like this,” Klinefelter said.
This was Klinefelter’s second win in an Ohio conservation stamp competition. His painting of ring-neck duck won the competition in 2002. In 2005 and 2006 he won competitions in Oklahoma and Nevada, respectively.
Approximately 28,000 Ohio wetland stamps were purchased last year, according to the Division of Wildlife. Proceeds help fund vital wetland habitat restoration projects in Ohio. Such habitats are important to many resident wildlife species, including trumpeter swans, wetland birds, amphibians, and numerous migratory species.
Second place honors in this year’s competition were awarded to Jeffrey Hoff of Jamestown, North Dakota for his rendering of ruddy ducks; third place went to Jocelyn Beatty of West Middlesex, Pennsylvania for her entry of redheads. Four Ohio artists placed in the top 10 in this year’s competition
Last year's Ohio wetlands stamp winner, Richard Clifton of Milford, Delaware, will see his painting of a Canada goose appear on the 2007 wetlands habitat stamp.
The judges for this year's event included Christopher Tenoglia, an attorney who is a conservationist and outdoorsman; Opie Rohrer, waterfowl researcher and employee of the Winous Point Shooting Club; Bill Englefield, president of Englefield Oil Company and life member of Ducks Unlimited; Laura Brown-Egan, art teacher and avid outdoorswoman; and Lee Howley, member of the Ohio Wildlife Council and conservationist. Brad Falkinburg, a wetland ecologist and waterfowl art and decoy collector, served as an alternate judge.
*Article Taken From The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife