Bruce Woodward, a native of central Maryland, grew up amidst peaceful rural surroundings that have provided the influence for much of his watercolor landscape paintings. Favored pastimes of fly fishing, hiking, and camping have afforded him first-hand opportunities to experience Maryland's diversity from mountains to shore as well as closely observe the wildlife within these bounds. Many paintings are conceived of his personal observations of rural settings, landscapes, and wildlife of Maryland's mountains and the Chesapeake Bay region.

   Much of Mr. Woodward’s work pays homage to the legacies of disappearing landscapes and ways of life. Capturing the rural landscapes of our agrarian roots has been a centerpiece of his work as he preserves these images of a passing way of American life. Similarly, much of his work also records a fleeting way of life from the Chesapeake Bay region, that of the watermen, their work boats, and the marshes and waterways they call home.

   Increasingly, Bruce’s most recent works reflect his longtime interest in the sport of fly fishing and its intimacy with the natural world. His direct experiences on regional streams and rivers during fly-fishing trips lend authenticity and atmosphere to finished works which celebrate the sport in its truest form.

   Holding art degrees from Towson State University and the Maryland Institute College of Art, Bruce has expanded his career as a teacher of art by exhibiting collections of his original works and bringing his unique perspective and style to commissioned pieces of work.

   Mr. Woodward counts among his achievements: First Place in the 1988 Maryland Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print Competition; Maryland Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year, 1988; First Place in the Grand National Waterfowl Hunt and Artists' Invitational; First Place in the 1980 Maryland Trout Stamp Competition. He has participated in numerous group and one-man shows, including a one-man show of his work at the National Institutes of Health and the National Wildlife Federation Headquarters Gallery in Vienna, Virginia. Group shows in which he has participated include the Easton Waterfowl Festival, Ward Foundation Show, Life of Maryland Wildlife Show, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Teachers Art Exhibition.

   Other honors have included being commissioned to design the kestrel logo used by the National Audubon Society, Maryland Chapter, and being extended invitations to many prestigious regional art shows. Bruce has donated his artwork to many local and national conservation organizations and was awarded the Ducks Unlimited Conservation Award in 1987 and again in 1989.

   Maintaining a studio in rural southern Carroll County on the edge of Piney Run Lake, he can observe geese, deer, birds, fox, and other wildlife most any day. Short trips by car or on foot place him in close touch with many of the rural settings which influence his work.