At Recover, we value and take action to support public lands. We also value and take action to support artists. Everything is interrelated, and pairing the newest expansion of Recover’s Protect Our Parks’ initiative with our growing initiatives to support not only musical, but also visual artists, we collaborated with Springer The Artist to bring you a Recover Tee collection that features our nation’s most iconic public lands as seen through the eyes of the free-flowing painter John Springer.

Born in Georgia and holding a B.S. in Natural Resources from Sewanee: the University of the South, Springer began work in outdoor education based out of the Rocky Mountain West. Over time, his recreational painting and drawing became his main focus. He made the switch over to art full time after a couple of successful art shows in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which Springer calls “home base” for now.

“The connection between the environmental world and painting goes hand in hand with the love of nature and the outdoors,” notes Springer, who has been invited to travel nationally and internationally to show his art.  “For me and art, everything has been grassroots and organic growth. I have always immersed myself in landscape, whether it’s the quiet of the wilderness or the energy of a city street, and been inspired to create art from it.” 

Anyone who sees Springer’s art can feel the biting wind or the hot sun, can smell the seasons, and can hear the “sounds of the world” that may have been experienced while creating the piece. “Up for painting anything”, Springer paints cityscapes, people, the Wild West, plants, animals, mountains, oceans, you name it- he has the ability to truly be present and transfer whatever he sees onto paper in a way that engages the attention, imagination, and inspiration of viewers.

For the Recover Protect Our Parks Artist Collection, Springer captured National Park icons in Smoky Mountains, Grand Teton, Yosemite, Arches and Grand Canyon National Parks and we worked together to print them on Recover Tees. 

Describing the prints and collaboration, Springer recounts, “I’ve made a point in life to see as many National Parks as possible. My ultimate goal as an artist is to be a contributor to society, and for this Recover Artist collaboration, I picked those iconic views and landmarks in the great Smoky Mountains, Grand Teton, Yosemite, Arches and Grand Canyon.  It’s been really fun, and was new for me to do them as drawings vs. paintings, and then coordinate with Manya at Recover to create them as graphics for the tee-shirt series. I really enjoyed it, and hope that it connects people to and support for our public lands.”

While last summer Springer was presenting art shows in France, this spring and summer, he’s had an ongoing show at Cowboy Coffee in Jackson Hole and is working with the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance on their project including work with local artists to raise awareness about wildlife safety in the park. As part of this, Springer will have a roadkill series that will show throughout the summer.