WASHINGTON -- The official portrait of U.S. House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., was unveiled at a ceremony April 5 in the House Agriculture Committee hearing room. The portrait, by award-winning portrait artist Leslie W. Bowman, was accepted by Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Peterson, currently House Agriculture Committee ranking member, served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for two terms, beginning in 2007. During this time, he oversaw the successful passage of the 2008 farm bill, which preserved the safety net for farmers while making historic new investments in food, farm and conservation programs. He also was a key player in addressing financial reform through the committee's oversight of the CFTC. Peterson currently serves as House Agriculture Committee ranking member.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas and former Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte spoke at the ceremony and several members of the Peterson family were in attendance.
Bowman, an honors graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, started her career as an illustrator of books for young readers and produced more than 20 published titles. In 2004, Leslie followed her passion for portraiture. Later that year, she won Best in Show at the Minnesota Lake Country Pastel Society's Annual Juried Exhibit. She also is the recipient of the Pastel Society of America's Board of Directors Award and The Art Spirit Foundation/Dianne B. Bernard Gold Medal Award for Excellence given in the Pastel 100 Competition by Pastel Journal.
Bowman lives and works in Minneapolis.
