National Juried Show!!

Common Potoo, Nyctibeus griseus

My watercolor painting of the Common Potoo (Nyctibeus griseus) was just accepted to the member's exhibit at the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) annual meeting.

Last summer I completed the painting for our Greater New York GNSI chapter's fall exhibit entitled Nature's Camouflage.  This small exhibit has gone on to several different local venues since the September 2013 opening at Highstead Arboretum in Redding, Connecticut.  (see previous post!)

Now my painting will hang at the Museum of Natural History in Boulder Colorado from April through September 2014.  The 2014 conference and annual meeting will be held at the University of Colorado, Boulder, nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

A full week of classes, technique workshops, demonstrations and field trips to the nearby mountains and museums, the annual meeting is always a great way to learn - both from experienced instructors and fellow artists.

I attended several days of the conference last summer - at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine - and came away inspired to try out some new painting techniques.

Detail of notched eyelid, Nyctibeus griseus.

This watercolor of the Common Potoo was done before that experience, so it's my standard combination of wash and dry-brush with finishing touches of gouache to highlight the white feathers.  I really enjoyed working on this piece, and used museum study skins, photographs and videos as reference material.

Detail of chick, Nyctibeus griseus.

Well, if you find yourself in Boulder, Colorado this summer, stop by the Natural History Museum and check out the Guild of Natural Science Illustrator's Member Show - my potoos will be there!