The Year of the Tiger: Works by Brian James Fichtner at the Hart Memorial Library

Osceola Arts - Art in Public Places at the Hart Memorial Library presents The Year of the Tiger: Works by Brian James Fichtner, May 7 - June 30

Fichtner is a professional illustrator living in Celebration Florida with his wife and son. He grew up in Montana where he started drawing at the age of 2. He attended The Art Institute of Portland in Oregon where he studied Animation. Brian has worked as a character artist for the Walt Disney Company since 2008. Independently, he loves to work in grayscale with a focus on wildlife conservation but from time to time will dabble in pop culture-themed art as well.

"My hope is that through my artwork others will see the beauty of the awesome creatures God placed on this amazing planet we call home and maybe be inspired to go out and join efforts to save them for future generations to enjoy. 90 years ago there were 9 subspecies of tigers roaming the globe, now there are 6 and many of those are in rapid decline. Sumatran tigers for instance, which you can visit at Disney's Animal Kingdom, are down to just 400-600 in the wild. My hope with this series of illustrations is that it will leave people imprinted with a positive image of tigers in their minds and then just maybe they'll be inclined to donate to one of the many organizations around the world working to stop poaching and habitat loss and bring these incredible cats away from the brink of extinction." @artofbjf

For more information on Art in Public Places contact marilyn@osceolaarts.org