Chat Week on Kingsnake.com
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
John Agnew
Reptile Artist

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AskJohn: Welcome all to Kingsnake.com's 3rd night of our 4th Annual Chate Week

AskJohn: Tonight's Guest is Mr. John Agnew..famous artist of herp related murals, paintins for scientfic institutions

AskJohn: what type of art do you do? sculptures, paintings, etc.?

jagnew: Mostly paintings. I do some illustration and murals for museums and zoos, plus paintings for sale in galleries

jagnew: I have six limited edition prints on the market now also.

AskJohn: (John, when you finish an answer, could you type next)

PHKiwi: This chat is being moderated. To ask John a question, please doubleclick on the name AskJohn in the chat room and post your question to him there.

jagnew: I started out drawing dinosaurs as a kid

jagnew: Now I get paid to do it!

jagnew: I worked in a natural history museum as a teenager, and decided on museums as a career.

jagnew: I got a degree in Fine Arts, and took lots of science courses as electives.

jagnew: I have kept herps since I was 7 years old...43 years.

jagnew: So it was natural for me to draw and paint them.

jagnew: next

AskJohn: What inspires your selection of topics?

jagnew: Whatever turns me on!

jagnew: next

AskJohn: John - Do you yourself own any herps, if so what types, and how did you get interested?

jagnew: Yes, I have about a dozen snakes (corns, kings, milks, python, boas) and a few geckos. I started out with an interest in dinosaurs, like lots of kids. next

AskJohn: Has your art taken you to exotic locales, and if so, where?

jagnew: I've traveled a lot in Central America, the American west, and a little in Russia. next

AskJohn: Where are your prints for sale?

jagnew: Here on Kingsnake.com, and my own website. You can also find them at a few zoos. next

AskJohn: How many different reptile oriented works have you produced

jagnew: gee, it's hard to say....a few dozen, I guess. next

AskJohn: What zoos/museums etc display your work?

jagnew: My most recent mural was done for the Riverbanks Zoo in S.C. The Cincinnati Zoo and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural history have most of my murals. next

AskJohn: What medias do you work in

jagnew: Mostly acrylic paint. I have also done some drawings, scratchboard and etchings. next

AskJohn: what was your experience in Mosow like and what did you paint?

AskJohn: Moscow

jagnew: I had a great time there doing a seminar on mural painting for the Moscow Zoo and their artists. I spent a lot of time with the herp people at the zoo ther as well.

jagnew: next

AskJohn: Will you be visiting other countries soon to do art work?

jagnew: I'd really like to get down to Manu National Park in the Peruvian Amazon. Maybe next year. I'd also like to spend some time again in Belize and Guatemala. next

AskJohn: what is your favorite reptile/amphib to paint?

jagnew: That's a tough one. I can't think of a favorite. I love lizards and snakes, but I also like frogs for their color and textures. I want to do more crocodilians, too. next

AskJohn: Do you have a day job too?

jagnew: This is my day job! It's tough, but someone has to paint them. A lot of my work is illustration for Nature center and museum exhibits. next

AskJohn: re: the Moscow Zoo..I had heard some 10 years ago they had a nice collection - your thoughts from seeing?

jagnew: They do have a nice collection! Some awesome Asian vipers. next

AskJohn: how many different speicies of reptiles have you portrayed?

jagnew: Maybe a couple of dozen. next

AskJohn: Where exactly did you visit in Belize?

jagnew: Hmmm....let's see if I can remember, First we canoed the Macal River, spenty a few days in the Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve, the barrier islands, and then a trip to Tikal in Guatemala. I loved the canoe trip...lots of iguanas! It provided the inspiration for my iguana painting, "Morning Warm Up". next

AskJohn: Are you involved with the Iguana conservation project there

jagnew: Sorry to say, no. Perhaps you could send info to me. I did see them being hunted by a lot of peoople. rthey call them "Bamboo Chicken". next

AskJohn: I have heard that an artist worst critic is themself..have you dealt w/a piece of work that you felt ya just counldn't "get it right"..sorta like a "writer cramp?"

jagnew: Yes, it's all true. I have a closet full of attempts that I'll return to, someday. When I look at my work, all I see are the things I got wrong. next

AskJohn: What book is currently on your nightstand?

jagnew: "The Continental Philosophy Reader"...certain to put me to sleep every time. I like to read adventure stories, too, like "The Beach". The herp literature is in the bathroom.next

AskJohn: also I would like to know what know what kind of training you have had also

jagnew: In Art? My parents met in art school, so I had training for my whole life before college and an art degree. As for herps, I worked with a live reptile collection at the Dayton Museum of Natural History, where I was trained by the resident herpetologist. I read lot too. next

AskJohn: What do you do, or what would you like to do, to aid in the rainforest conservation efforts?

PHKiwi: This chat is being moderated. To ask John a question, please doubleclick on the name

AskJohn: in the chat room and post your question to him there.

jagnew: I belong to a group of artists here in Cincinnati that schedule shows to benefit convervation through sales commissions. I don't have any real connections with rainforest groups, but would be willing to do work for that. The loss of the rainforest is a huge tragedy for our planet. next

AskJohn: The Iguana Conservation project is being done by the zoo in Belize. Have you been to that zoo there?

jagnew: No, I missed it on my first trip. I hope to get back there to see it. Some of my friends at the zoo here in Cincinnati have connections with the Belize Zoo, so I'll have to check that out. next

AskJohn: since the herps in your paints are probably moving, how do you paint them. Do you take a snapshot and work from that or do you work from memory

jagnew: I use a combination of references. I use my photographs, and live specimens. Trying to draw them in the wild is tough, unless its something like a basking alligator. I'm afraid that I don't have a photographic memory. next

AskJohn: What message would you like to convey to people in your paintings?

jagnew: That herps are beautiful creatures. Many of my artist colleagues tell me that I am really hurting my sales by painting herps imstead of birds or mammals, but somebody has to do it! They are such incredible animals. I hope that comes through in my art. next

AskJohn: Is there a place on the web to view some of your work?

jagnew: Here on Kingsnake, and at my own website, www.angelfire.com/id/wildscenes

jagnew: next

AskJohn: > Will you be making any books with your paintings in them as well?

jagnew: I have one book on the market which is mostly about my technique, but it contains repros of much of my work. It has my Lemur Frog painting, "A Wet Night Out" on the cover...it's titled, "Painting The Secret World Of Nature," and is published by North Light Books. next

AskJohn: What reptile artists work do you personally like (not counting your own stuff :)

jagnew: LOL I don't usually like my own work much. I am too much of a perfectionist, and it is far from perfect. I lreally like Mark Kelso, Carel Brest van Kempen, and my memory fails me for the rest. There are several excellent herp artists out there. next

AskJohn: Have you done any paintings with turtles in them?

jagnew: YEs, I have done a couple. I did one of a painted turtle basking on a fall day..."The Last Nice Day." I have also done a few scratchboard and pencil drawings. next

AskJohn: What painting/murel are you currently working on or loking forward to?

jagnew: I am just finishing an Indian Cobra perched on a statue of Buddha. It's based on a Buddhist legend about a cobra that spread its hood to protect the Buddha while he was meditating. I am also starting just today a painting of a Giant Day gecko.next

AskJohn: What is your favorite painting among your own works?

jagnew: Hmmm... it's either "A Wet Night Out," or "A Diamond In The Rough." next

AskJohn: Have you ever painted box turtles in the wild?

jagnew: Just sketches in the wild. next

AskJohn: How do you decide what reptiles to paint?

jagnew: Whatever I'm into at the moment, and have good reference material for. I am looking forward to painting my Jungle Carpet python. next

AskJohn: what do you most wish to paint in the future

jagnew: I mentioned my python. I'd really like to do some Australian monitors, but I'll have to get there to get some good references...animals and landscapes. I also plan to do more frogs. next

AskJohn: Would you like your paintings to be featured on postal stamps someday?

jagnew: That would be great. I think frogs would make great stamps, and most people like them. Snakes might be a problem for the postal service! next

AskJohn: have you thought of ever doing a uromastyx or frilled dragon painting?

jagnew: I haven't considered it yet. I guess they aren't species I especially love, but mostly its because I haven't had any close contact with them. next

AskJohn: what is harder to paint..lizards or snakes or turtles in terms of naturalistic appearances?

jagnew: Snakes are the toughest by far. Getting the scales in the correct patterns, with the right perspective is incredibly hard. The scale patterns change in subtle ways and if you're off just a little, it shows. That's why I haven't done a lot of them. They are really hard work, and I'm basically a lazy guy. next

AskJohn: what herp would you most like to paint next

jagnew: I've been eyeing my Jungle Carpet Python a lot lately. I like vipers a whole lot, and there are several species I'd like to do. next

AskJohn: is there country you'd like most to visit to paint herps of

jagnew: Peru's Amazon area is high on the list. I'd also like to get to Borneo. next

AskJohn: John, we're up on the hour..on behalf of JeffB, Kingsnake.com, the PH's and myself..thank you Sir for taking of your time to be w/us tonight

jagnew: it's been a pleasure. Thanks for having me. Lot's of great questions folks.