In the Footsteps of Audubon

A spellbinding richly illustrated journey, In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it, and see what the areas he visited have become today. During the early 19th Century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon began creating a complete artistic record of North American birds, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and the western frontier of the Dakotas along the Missouri River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art and biology. Early in the 21st Century, during a period of 16 years, French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed Audubon’s routes to produce his own journal and hundreds of original paintings.

Now, hot off the presses from Princeton University Press, In the Footsteps of Audubon showcases some 250 of Clavreul’s stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon’s journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist’s eye and painter’s skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered during his travels, and to the birds, other animals, and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future.

You will especially appreciate the Forward by David Allen Sibley, and you can learn more about In the Footsteps of Audubon at In the Footsteps of Audubon | Princeton University Press