John D. Dawson - National Geographic

This collection of ant paintings was created for National Geographic Magazine and appeared in their June 1984 issue. It was two years in the making and none of it would have been completed without the assistance and direction of Art Director Howard Paine, Researcher Karen Gibbs, and Author Professor Bert Hölldobler. Three of these paintings were also selected to be included in the books The Art Of National Geographic, A Century of Illustration and The Ants.

A remarkable National Geographic Magazine project started when Kathie and I began working with Professors Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. Besides Hölldobler and Wilson's world class knowledge and experience, we were provided with unlimited resource materials and actual ant specimens. Back in the studio, with the help of a microscope, I did hundreds of detailed reference sketches of the ants and made copious notes. After six months of studying and educating myself on the world of ants, I was ready to begin the preliminary sketch ideas. Below are a few of the fifty or more advanced studies that were completed before the brush even actually touched paper.

Working with Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson was a very special experience. They later used some of my ant illustrations in their book, The Ants, a Harvard Press book. This book is considered the ultimate reference for the ant world and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1991!

Three of the ant paintings from the June 1984 National Geographic Magazine were included in their published book, The Art Of National Geographic, A Century of Illustration.