AFTCO Bluewater

Widely recognized as the world’s finest freshwater fish and wildlife artist, Al Agnew has teamed up with AFTCO Bluewater to create — and proudly “introduce” inside the pages of this catalog — a unique line of lifestyle sportswear for freshwater fishermen, hunting enthusiasts, or anyone who simply appreciates nature. Featured is a spectacular selection of T-Shirts and sweatshirts with full-color, full-back designs that vividly depict, to the last detail, Al Agnew’s award-winning artwork of popular freshwater game fish and North American wildlife. In addition, the new Al Agnew by AFTCO Bluewater collection will offer an “embroidery” line of casual wear that includes shirt styles, hats and beanies, jackets, fleece and belts.

Agnew was raised in the rural Ozarks of southern Missouri where, from an early age, his father and grandfather took him fishing every weekend — unless they went hunting. By the time he was nine, Al was riding his bike a mile to the river to catch smallmouth bass, and was floating the river in a small johnboat by the time he was 14. He hunted the woods and, while in high school, won local bass tournaments and purchased his first canoe and bass boat. Not surprising, art was Al’s other love, and his skill was such that he even sold some paintings before he enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University. There, he chose to work toward a teaching degree, with a major in art, and after graduating, taught art at a small school in southern Missouri, all the while painting in his spare time. Having sold a few pieces and then winning the first conservation stamp contest he’d entered (the Missouri trout stamp), Al made the decision in 1983, with encouragement from his wife, to pursue his passion for painting wildlife on a full-time basis. He immediately began selling paintings and has never looked back.

Though few artists can match the accuracy and detail of Al Agnew’s sensational artwork, what sets Al apart from all others is his versatility. Once he has invested the time to study animal behavior in natural surroundings, Al is equally comfortable painting a leaping largemouth bass or ducks on the wing as he is a regal bull elk, a pride of lions on the African veldt, or a flycaster working an inviting stretch of trout stream. It is Al’s angling experience that has made his portraits of North American freshwater fish so dynamic and accurate. For reference, he photographs his catches, but then examines subtle color shifts under various lighting conditions and takes extensive notes on scale and fin ray counts. Al has also spent considerable time snorkeling in clear streams and lakes, studying the appearance and habits of fish and the underwater light and “landscape”. Such attention to detail ensures that an Al Agnew fish painting is accurate down to the last scale, and an image to which any angler can relate. It has also put Al at the pinnacle of American freshwater fish artists, with his works being published in prominent outdoor magazines, books, and regularly as cover art for Bass Pro Shops catalogs. Similarly, while hunting, Al has spent considerable time studying the habits of wild game and other wildlife he encounters. That, along with the spectacular landscapes that often surround him, have inspired some of Al’s favorite paintings, and assure that when he portrays game birds, waterfowl or wild animals on canvas, they will be accurately detailed and appropriately engaged with their environment. His talent and approach are why Al Agnew has won 12 conservation stamp contests, been honored as featured artist at nationally prominent wildlife art shows, been invited to participate in prestigious international exhibits, and was inducted into U.S. Art’s Artist Hall Of Fame. To enjoy the latest of Al Agnew’s remarkable paintings, visit his website at www.alagnew.com.

An avid angler who has fished in 30 states, Canada and Africa, Al Agnew has landed almost 80 species of North American fish on hook and line, as well as five African species. He has flyfished much of the West for trout and steelhead, and nearly a dozen rivers in Alaska for salmon. Though he’s caught trophy bass in Texas and Florida, and landed big muskie, pike, and walleye in Minnesota and Ontario, his first love is smallmouth bass fishing. Al is well-known as an expert on river smallmouth, and his river fishing tactics and adventures have been featured in national outdoor magazines. He is a popular speaker at fishing seminars throughout the Midwest, and is an acknowledged master of stream fishing from a canoe, having been featured in the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World television series.

Al is also an avid bowhunter who has sought elk in Idaho, mule deer in Colorado, and caribou in Alaska, besides the whitetails and wild turkeys in his native Ozarks. He also enjoys shotgunning for cottontails, quail, and doves. He grew up squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle, and still prides himself on his expertise in rifle shooting with open sights.

Al Agnew’s artwork is also in much demand among conservation organizations, where it has helped in raising millions of dollars to benefit wildlife through organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Black Bass Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Wolf Recovery Project, and on an international level, the Cullman and Hurt Community Wildlife Project in Africa’s Tanzania. Al is also active in working with national, state and local fisheries and conservation organizations supporting bass, trout and river protection.

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