Lanford Monroe (1950–2000) was an internationally known American realist painter and sculptor. She was best known for impressionistic oil paintings frequently featuring wildlife or equine subjects. She was the daughter of noted magazine illustrator C.E. Monroe, Jr. and portraitist Betty Monroe, and was also influenced by artist neighbors John Clymer and Bob Kuhn in her hometown of Bridgewater, Connecticut. Lanford attended the Ringling School of Fine Art in Sarasota, FL, where she studied Fine Arts with an awarded Hallmark Scholarship. After graduation, Lanford proceeded to become one of the most recognized wildlife artist in the United States, winning awards from such distinguished organizations as the Society of Animal Artists, the Salmagundi Open Exhibition (in both oil painting and sculpture), the American Academy of Equine Art and the Alaskan Audobon Society to name a few. In 1986, she was chosen to be included in the book From the Wild, a compilation of artwork from twelve of the leading artists of North America. Lanford’s passion was painting wildlife in landscapes, from Alabama to New Mexico, and this passion poured out onto her canvases and through every other medium she touched. Lanford died unexpectedly in her home July 4, 2000. Following her death, Monroe's husband published a biography, Homefields: The Art of Lanford Monroe. He also helped the National Museum of Wildlife Art establish an artist-in-residence program in her memory.