Rutherford High School
         Rutherford, New Jersey

  The recipient of the award for 2000 is a member of
                         the class of 1973
 

                 Mr. Thomas Hirata
 

Tom with Mr Sarsfield and RHS Principal William Bauman

 

Tom speaking at the award reception

 

Several members of the class of 1973 congratulate Tom

PRESS RELEASE-

Wildlife Artist Thomas Hirata is chosen as Rutherford High School’s
Distinguished Graduate for 2000

Rutherford, NJ May 2000 - Rutherford High School’s Distinguished Graduate for
2000 is the renowned wildlife artist Thomas Hirata. Tom graduated RHS in 1973
and was cosponsored for the award by fellow artist Ferdinand Petrie and
former teacher Paul Buhtanic. In addition he was supported for the award by
many of his fellow RHS alumni. At the awards reception many guests wished him
well. They included many of his former teachers, neighbors and classmates. He
was able to spend time with present high school art students giving them
encouragement and advice.

At the award reception, Tom related that throughout high school he had little
interest in art. After graduation from RHS he attended the University of
Colorado and worked within a pre-med program. For his course requirements, he
started to produce anatomical renderings and then sensed a need for a more
creative path of study. But he had no direction as to what a career in art
would hold.

During a break from college, he sought advice from Buhtanic, his former
teacher and senior class advisor, and was further mentored by Petrie who was
then in the midst of a successful artistic career. From their guidance Hirata
realized he wanted to pursue art as a vocation. He eventually sought formal
training at the Art Students League of New York and the Art Center College of
Design in California and began working as a commercial illustrator in NYC.

But in 1983 he left the commercial field and dedicated his time to refining
his talent in the specific field of wildlife art. One of his earliest
successes was for the NJ Department of Wildlife. In 1984 Tom had the
distinction of being selected as the artist to produce the first New Jersey
Duck Stamp for his home state. Since that time he has won additional
commissions to produce 16 other State Duck Stamps. These prestigious stamps
fund wildlife conservation and Tom’s efforts along with sales of his
collector prints have generated over two million dollars toward wildlife
preservation and has led him to become New Jersey’s first Ducks Unlimited
Grand Slam Sponsor.

Since that time he has rendered much more than waterfowl. His wildlife
repertoire is wide ranging and includes everything from large predator cats
to common domestic animals. He has traveled throughout North America and
Africa. When he works on location he will photograph or make preliminary
sketch work to record specific flora and fauna and then return to his
Pittsburgh studio to complete his final rendition. He works in many mediums
including painting in oils and since 1996 has developed a formal talent for
sketching through the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

His work has been shown in many museums including the Smithsonian, the Denver
Museum of Natural History, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, the
Philadelphia Academy of Art and Science, the Cleveland Museum of Natural
History, and is included in the permanent collection of the Southern
Alleghenies Museum. His images have graced the cover of dozens of magazines
including Bird Watcher’s Digest, Wildlife Art News, and Waterfowl USA. Many
of his original oils are also available as limited edition prints. In 1998,
Hirata’s shows totaled just over 30, taking him to nearly a dozen states.

To view selections of his work a search of his name should reveal upwards of
50 unique sites that represent collectors both public and private.
 

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