Background
She was the daughter of noted magazine illustrator Civil Engineer Monroe, Junior. and portraitist Betty Monroe, and was also influenced by artist neighbors John Clymer and Bob Kuhn in her hometown of Bridgewater, Connecticut.
She was the daughter of noted magazine illustrator Civil Engineer Monroe, Junior. and portraitist Betty Monroe, and was also influenced by artist neighbors John Clymer and Bob Kuhn in her hometown of Bridgewater, Connecticut.
Lanford grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and graduated from Huntsville High School in 1968.
She was best known for impressionistic oil paintings frequently featuring wildlife or equine subjects. Having completed her first commission at six years of age, Monroe spent most of her life with her work. She attended the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, and thereafter traveled throughout the country in pursuit of new projects.
As Monroe"s career developed, she moved from watercolor as her primary medium to oils.
Monroe died in 2000 due to a heart attack in her home near Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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.