A native of Alabama, artist Ainsley McNeely has drawn and painted all her life. A student of the old masters and the great artists of the 1800’s, she originally worked primarily in watercolor and graphite then expanded into oil, pen & ink, pastel, sculpture and more recently casein, frequently mixing media to achieve the desired effect. Her work can be seen in museums, galleries, private & corporate collections in North America, Europe, and Australia. Ainsley’s wildlife paintings, sporting art, portraits, historical and figure work appear in shows throughout the U.S., winning awards in many competitions including the World Wildlife Art Festival, The Art Show at the Dog Show, The Miniature Art Society of Florida Show, The Grand National Art Contest, The Miniature Painters, Sculptors, & Gravers Society of Washington D.C. Show, The Alabama Flora & Fauna Art Show, The Spanish Moss Miniature Art Show, and the Louisiana Wildfowl Festival. She also designed the 2001-2002 Alabama Duck Stamp and was inducted into the UMS-Wright Hall of Fame for Fine Arts. She was one of the founders of the Alabama Miniature Art Society and currently serves as its president. Ainsley has always loved the outdoors and much of her time is spent in the field studying and photographing her subjects. Her reference material for historical pieces is primarily gathered by photographing re-enactments throughout the country (or costumed models); her figure work is usually drawn from a live model in the studio. She particularly enjoys the challenge of capturing the beauty, energy, and emotion of the natural world as well as the people & animals who inhabit it, both now and in the past. In the 1990s Ainsley went to the Wyoming/Montana area to paint and liked it so much she bought property and began designing a new studio, adding western scenes & subjects to her repertoire. She represented the United States in an artist exchange with eastern Europe and did a series of paintings from her experiences there. Ainsley also gives presentations to various art, conservation and business groups and occasionally teaches workshops. She holds a B.A. in studio art from Florida State University and a master’s degree from the University of South Alabama.