Okanagen Falls

Dwayne Harty is a Canadian wildlife painter and muralist born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. Raised in the rural region of southwestern Saskatchewan, he developed an interest in natural history and animal anatomy during his youth. He pursued formal artistic training in the United States, studying under wildlife artist Clarence Tillenius and enrolling at the Arts Students League of New York, where he studied under painter Robert Beverly Hale.

Harty’s studio practice focuses on wildlife portraiture, animal behavior, and North American ecosystems, working primarily in oil. His artistic process relies on field research, observational sketching, and plein air landscape studies to document native species within their natural habitats. Throughout his career, he has produced large-scale wilderness landscapes and animal studies depicting the fauna of the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, and northern Canada.

A central milestone in Harty’s career was his multi-year commission for the "Yellowstone to Yukon" (Y2Y) conservation initiative. Between 2008 and 2011, he created a extensive series of paintings and large-scale murals documenting the wildlife, habitats, and ecological corridors spanning from Wyoming to the Yukon Territory. This body of work was featured in a major traveling museum exhibition organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming.

In addition to his studio and field work, Harty has completed public mural commissions and educational projects for natural history institutions. His artwork has been featured in public museum exhibitions across North America and is represented in permanent institutional collections, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.