When Billy Hassell was growing up in Dallas in the 1960s, he was surrounded by the colorful varieties of nature.

“We had lizards, toads, turtles, minnows and reptiles that are rare now, and a few blocks from my house, there was a creek that I liked to explore, which led to White Rock Lake,” Hassell told Kinute. “It was a nature corridor. Where there are shopping centers and malls today, there used to be fields and cedar trees. It was very common to see rabbits and other wildlife when I was riding my bicycle.”

After being introduced to a paint-by-number portrait kit by a neighbor, Hassell went on to major in art at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

“My first real art instruction was in college where I learned how to oil paint better,” he said. “I majored in printmaking and so I did a lot of black and white graphic work. I didn’t start oil painting until the end of my college years.”

"Orchard Oriole with Permissions" by Billy Hassell

Hassell moved to Boston and was accepted at the University of Massachusetts to study painting.

“That was independent work,” he said. “It was a two-year program, and I did it in case I wanted to teach. I have taught over the years but mostly I've been a full-time artist.”

Hassell was referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stylist” by The New York Times.

"What is floral wallpaper but a desire for flowers, several generations removed from the flowers themselves," he said. "I find our innate need for connection with the natural world very moving. It’s an idea I am always exploring in my work. It provides me with a central, unifying theme.

"Waiting for Rain" by Billy Hassell

Although Hassell is a successful painter, he will never forget his childhood exposure to the outdoors. Today, at 65-years-old, he is a Texas-based artist with a focus on nature, conservation and the environment. He produces oil paintings, color lithographs and watercolors and exhibits in galleries in Texas, Missouri and Colorado, according to his website.

“My early work was based loosely on those observations,” he said. “Somehow, I got interested in what animals eat because of the creek. So, I love the patterns on fish and the colors. All of it became incorporated into my art.”

Hassell, who was commissioned by the Nature Conservancy of Texas to create a color print of Edwards Aquifer in Austin in the 1990s, has since cultivated a commitment to preserving the environment and endangered species.

“I paint things that I know are endangered and I've created art that’s based on extinct beings that were once common here in Texas and elsewhere,” he said. “My philosophy is that human impact has accelerated the effects of climate change to where we're seeing changes happening in 100-year cycles instead of 10,000-year cycles.”

"Monarch Butterflies over the Rio Grande" by Billy Hassell

The Nature Conservancy of Texas side project at Edward’s Aquifer became more central to Hassell’s body of work over the years after he was commissioned by Audubon Texas, a bird conservatory, to produce a series of lithographs based on various projects they were working on around the state, such as the Gulf Coast, East Texas, the Dogwood Canyon in Dallas and the Mitchell Lake water treatment facility near San Antonio. 

“Mitchell Lake is now a wetland that attracts millions of pelicans and other birds,” Hassell said. “It became another learning process for me to find out more about the flora and fauna of Texas and what really desperately needs to be preserved.”

The artwork landed him an ongoing artistic relationship with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“I feel really blessed and very grateful to know what I wanted to do with my life and being fortunate enough to be able to make a living doing something I enjoy,” he said. “I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been successful as an artist.”

"Whooping Cranes over Salt Marshes" by Billy Hassell

Hassell has even kept busy during the pandemic.

“I haven't traveled as much during COVID but just 35 minutes away there's a privately owned ranch on 600 acres along the Brazos Rivers and the owners commissioned me,” he said. “I started the project before COVID and finished it this past December.”

The theme that informs Hassell’s paintings the most is the interconnectedness of nature and natural history as opposed to the politics of conservation.

Some 68% of voters think most presidential candidates do not understand issues involving public lands, waters and wildlife compared to 27% who say they do understand, according to a Public Opinions Strategies study.

As for Congressmembers, 55% of voters say they do not understand these issues well compared to 39% who say they do understand.

"Ghost at the Window" by Billy Hassell

“I hope that through my work people are made aware of nature just by showing them some of the birds, which is a real common subject for me, and more recently butterflies and pollinators have become important,” he said. “As an artist, aesthetics come first. The artistic integrity of the painting supersedes a political message.”

Out of a lifetime of artwork, Hassell’s favorite is his latest series of paintings, which is color reduced. 

“The idea behind it is pretty depressing, which is to say that beings are becoming extinct and disappearing, but sometimes it can be beautiful and kind of terrifying at the same time,” he said. “That's what the definition of sublime is -- like a tornado or tsunami. The wave is just incredible, but the damage and destruction that follows are terrifying.”

Hassell currently lives in an urban area of West Fort Worth in a house not far from Interstate 30, which means he has to go out of his way to find nature.

“There are several places I like to go to watercolor,” he said. “Over the years, I've acquired a lot of friends from the people who have commissioned me to do their artwork. They have then invited me to go out to their ranches. I feel very privileged because it's not public access land, but I think the most beautiful places in Texas are all privately owned.”

"Canary (in the Coal Mine)" by Billy Hassell

Other Hassell getaways include local national state parks and the Fort Worth Nature Center. 

“The nature center has several hundred acres,” he said. “It’s a beautiful area with bald eagles’ nests. There are great state parks, but it's kind of sad that the public doesn't have access to private lands; but if the public had access to it, it wouldn't be protected the way it is.”

Hassell may be reached by phone at 817-371-5873. For more information, visit billyhassell.com.