| Patrick Ching | |
| Birth Place: | Oahu, Hawaii, United States |
| Birth Date: | [1] |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Otis College of Art and Design |
Patrick Ching (born 1963)[1] is a Hawaiian conservationist and wildlife artist, ornithological illustrator, and author of children's books.[2] [1]
Ching was born in Oahu. He received his alma mater from the Otis College of Art and Design where he trained to be an artist. In 1984 he moved to Kauai in order to do volunteer for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife ranger. This took him to remote areas of the Hawaiian Islands where he worked a great deal with sharks, seals, turtles and other marine animals. He then became a ranger at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.[1]
A painter since age 16, Ching gained international recognition because of his painting's remarkable likeness to the photographs he took while in the field. His most notable works of art can be seen on Hawaii's first Wildlife Conservation Stamp featuring the Hawaiian state bird the Nene, a species of goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.[3] and the Hawaiian Telcom Phone Book Cover featuring Halley's Comet.
In 2008, Ching painted the hundred foot mural for the Salt Lake Public Library.[4] which was featured in national magazines including Wildlife Art News, Audubon, and Birders' World.
Works by Ching are included in the collections of Hawaii's Bishop Museum and the Smithsonian Museum in New York.[5]
Ching has written around twenty books, most of which are about wildlife and nature. In 1998 Ching started writing children's books.
In 1996, Patrick opened the Naturally Hawaiian Gallery from the ruins of an old gas station in the heart of Waimānalo, and in 2008, Patrick Ching Art Gallery opened in Princeville, Kauaʻi.
Ching has written around twenty books, among them are:[2]