Submitted photo

Pictured is the painting of two American Gold Finches by Rhea Knight of Letart.

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LETART — An exciting time for any artist is when their dedication to their craft and hard work is recognized and appreciated by others, and such is the case with Rhea Knight of Letart.

Knight’s painting of a two American Gold Finches was recently chosen for the cover of the 2013 West Virginia Wildlife Calendar, produced by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).

Knight spoke with the Point Pleasant Register, saying she has been painting for over 20 years now. Knight said she spends a great amount of time outdoors taking pictures of wildlife and nature and uses those as inspiration for her artwork. She continued, saying the inspiration for the painting on the cover of the calendar came from a trip by her neighbor’s pasture when she saw the gold finches and snapped some photographs.

“I love it,” Knight said about her craft. “I love nature. That’s what I paint.”

Even though the calendar is for the state of West Virginia, Knight said the submission process is a national competition and 200-300 entries come from all over the country. Knight’s work has been selected for the calendar several times before and she stated this was the third time her artwork has been chosen for the cover, first in 2006 and again in 2011. Knight added that she plans to submit more artwork in the future.

In addition to Knight’s work appearing in the calendar, it was also reported that she is a signature member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society and the National Society of Artists, as well as being represented by the David L. Dickirson Fine Art Gallery at Tamarack “The Best of West Virginia” in Beckley and MountainMade gallery in Thomas.

According to the DNR, the calendar also includes paintings which depict a black bear and her cubs, a family of squirrels, a swallowtail butterfly, a musky, and ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer and the snowy owl.

As well as artwork, it was also reported the calendar information about wildlife and nature and 2013 hunting information. Locally, Knight said the calendars are available at Pickens Hardware in Mason. The DNR also stated that calendars are available for purchase at DNR district offices, online at www.wvdnr.gov, or by calling 304-637-0245.