Jerry Antolik’s original painting, “Taking Targets to the Range,” now hangs in the CMP Camp Perry Headquarters.

The CMP has just received a new, original painting produced by Jerry Antolik, a nationally known and awarded artist from Wyoming. The new painting depicts a familiar scene to most Camp Perry shooters and volunteers. It shows a National Matches range engineering staff member driving a tractor and trailer with 1000 yard targets, in the midst of Camp Perry’s ubiquitous sea gulls, in front of one of Camp Perry’s most recognizable landmarks, its main water tower.

The original painting now hangs in the CMP’s Camp Perry Headquarters building. This painting was used to print a new poster in the series of posters the CMP produced to celebrate the National Matches through art. The new posters can be purchased at the CMP Store at Camp Perry, Ohio, the CMP Store at Anniston, Alabama, or through the CMP E-Store, http://estore.odcmp.com/Store/catalog/catalog.aspx. They are $12.95 each, plus shipping if ordered through the E-Store (ask for NLU #706NM06).

Jerry Antolik is best known for his wildlife paintings and murals and is most often associated with subject matter found in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain area. His paintings have depicted stampeding horses, cowboys at work, moose, buffalo, Rocky Mtn. Elk, working ranch scenes and other scenes of the wild. Antolik's work can be found in museums and private collections all over the United States. A Pennsylvanian by birth, Antolik earned a degree in illustration from the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, Ohio.

The new CMP National Matches poster with a Jerry Antolik signature.

Antolik paints on location as often as possible and spent several days at Camp Perry during the 2005 National Matches where he made drawings and took notes in preparation for his next National Matches art. Antolik’s most recent painting, “Taking Targets to the Range,” portrays ordinary National Matches images that are magnified and highlighted by Antolik’s unique ability to use light and light changes to dramatically enhance the beauty and feeling of otherwise common scenes.

This CMP National Matches poster is the third in a series that began with a painting the CMP commissioned Antolik to do celebrating the 2003 Centennial National Matches. The second Antolik painting and poster were produced in 2004 that celebrated winning competitors from the 2003 matches. Limited numbers of those earlier posters also are available for purchase from the CMP. The original art for both of those posters is also on permanent display at the CMP Camp Perry offices.

The Jerry Antolik painting commemorating the 1903-2003 National Matches Centennial.

This Jerry Antolik painting was the basis for the second CMP National Matches poster.