Influential Brushwork: Establishment and Preservation of Yosemite National Park Through Art

Presented by James McGrew, California Art Club painter and Yosemite Interpretive Park Ranger of 25 years.

Join California Art Club painter and Yosemite Interpretive Park Ranger James McGrew for an artist talk on the connections between art and the environmental preservation of Yosemite National Park.

James McGrew’s childhood backpacking trips to Yosemite sparked his passions for art and nature. He began painting with oils at 10 and later earned undergraduate degrees in natural sciences, followed by his graduate work for a master's in environmental education. He spent 25 summers as a Yosemite Interpretive Park Ranger/naturalist. James’s artwork, influenced by the impressionists and romantics, aims to continue the legacy of preservation for future generations. He often paints en plein air, hiking and backpacking for unique perspectives and wildlife encounters. McGrew’s paintings hang in prominent collections worldwide and have garnered many awards, multiple Best of Shows, including from Jean Stern. His work has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, Sunset Magazine, NPR, numerous films and books including authoring the chapter on Yosemite’s art history in The Nature of Yosemite. He is an out of state artist member of the California Art Club and signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and The American Impressionist Society.

Special thanks to the Elfenworks Center for Responsible Business for co-sponsoring this event.