Terry earned the Telly Award in 1993 for his video presentation of "Terry Redlin Paints America The Beautiful". Terry's First Book "Opening Windows To The Wild, The Art of Terry Redlin" was a Certificate of Merit winner at the Printing Industries of America competition in 1988. He has been presented with the "Lithograph of the Year" award at least three times by the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers. He was inducted into U.S. Art's Hall of fame in 1992, as well as being named Artist of The Year by Ducks Unlimited, and Conservationist Of The Year - Magnum Donor by the Minnesota Waterfowl Association.

Terry Redlin was born in 1937. He spent his childhood in Watertown, South Dakota. He had always loved the out-doors and dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. After graduating from High School he received a state art scholarship and went on to earn a degree from the St. Paul School of Associated Arts. After that he worked for several decades as a commercial layout artist, a graphic designer, an illustrator and an art director. However, he continued to be interested in nature and learned as much as he could about wildlife. He began painting in his spare time and published his own work. He even handmade the mats and frames.

In 1977 Terry's breakthrough came when "Winter Snows" appeared on the cover of Farmers Magazine. Suddenly there was an increasing demand for his work and in 1979 he decided to leave his art directing career to concentrate on painting. In the late 1970's Ray Johnson offered to distribute Redlin's work in his art gallery, the Wooden Bird, which later became Hadley House. They now handle all of Redlin's business including Limited Edition prints and Limited Edition collectible plates.

Redlin had decided from the beginning that he would concentrate on selling prints. He did sell a few of his original oil paintings in the beginning of his career, however, most of those originals have been recovered and are now displayed in the Terry Redlin Art Museum in Watertown, South Dakota.

His work gradually evolved from wildlife scenes, to paintings of the countryside, to scenes of early Americana. Some of his paintings recapture his own youth in rural America. His work became so relevant to American Heritage that he held the title of America's most popular artist for eight years in a row from 1991-1998. He is now semi-retired and only works for three months out of the year, producing one painting a month from November through February.

Terry never forgot his love for nature nor the people who helped him turn his dream into a fulfilling career. He has donated millions of dollars in art to nonprofit conservation organizations and after he and his son constructed a museum to house his original oil paintings he donated the museum to the State of South Dakota, in appreciation for the art scholarship he received as a young man. The museum includes a state tourism office, a 108-Seat amphitheater and a state of the art teleconferencing center as well as over 150 of his original paintings.

You can visit the Terry Redlin Art Center and Museum located at the junction of US Highway 212 and Interstate 29 in Watertown, South Dakota. Admission is free. For More Information, Call Toll Free 1-877-873-3546.