Nature's Camouflage - a new GNSI show!!

Artists and guests at the Exhibit Opening, September 15, 2013.

My local chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, "The Greater New York Chapter - GNSI" has opened yet another beautiful exhibit.  Again, the Highstead Arboretum hosted - and I learned today that this is the fifteenth anniversary of this GNSI - Highstead collaboration.  With a theme like "Nature's Camouflage", the range of subjects was bound to be diverse, and it is.  In watercolor, pencil, pen-and-ink and other media, the twenty or so exhibitors have depicted varied interpretations of the theme.

Most of the artists were on hand to talk - it's my turn.

 There were cryptically colored moths, a mantid and a katydid, frogs, birds, mammals small and large, an octopus and one plant - of the genus Lithops, a type of succulent called Living Stones because they look just like little pebbles on the ground.  Some subjects were depicted in full camouflage against a detailed background such as a host plant, leaf litter, or in snow - while others were simply studies of the subject with a description of the camouflage mechanism.

Common Potoo, Nyctibeus griseus, watercolor.

For this show I painted the Common Potoo, Nyctibeus griseus, in watercolor.  Here's the text I prepared for the exhibition:

In the family Nyctibiidae and order Caprimulgiformes, the potoo is a South and Central American bird, closely related to Whippoorwills.  Many members of this large group camouflage on the ground, in leaf litter, or by aligning the body parallel to a tree limb.  The Common Potoo, however, seems to hide in plain sight, often perching on the exposed end of a broken branch.  A nocturnal flier, the potoo will remain motionless during the day, keeping watch on the observer through specially notched eyelids.  The chick learns to "freeze" at a very young age, but here has been caught peeking.  As they rest together, the silky breast feathers of the parent bird drape over the youngster, blending the two into one.

"Habitats" Show comes to Yale University

The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) "Habitats" show continues, and my painting of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker now hangs in the Environmental Science Center at Yale University.  The exhibit space here is completely different from the walls of the Highstead Center.  The paintings are hung along a hallway, the entire length of which students, faculty, staff and visitors will traverse many times a day.

Habitats show on the exhibit wall in Yale's Environmental Science Center.

The space is illuminated by skylights, four floors above, which cast a glow of natural light on a four-story-high wall of Italian plaster, painted in a rich yellow-ochre color.  This is the second stop for our GNSI chapter's annual show, in this completely functional, but surprisingly lovely place.  The "Habitats" show will be on view through June.  This show's opening party will be held in March - we'll keep you posted, and it would be great to see you there!

GNSI members' business cards and the exhibit booklet

And, though it's still a l-o-n-g way off, Guild members have chosen "Camouflage" for the theme of our next show - I'm working on some ideas!  (September 2013)

Highstead art exhibit

Subtitle:
Highstead collaborates with the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators' Greater New York chapter to showcase artwork on the theme of "Habitats, flora & fauna in natural settings".
Background:
Highstead is a 150-acre preserve/arboretum/research area in Redding, Connecticut.
The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) is a 1000-member society of artists working in the field of, well, depicting natural science through works of art. 

Browsing the "Habitats" exhibit on opening day.

Today's story:
This morning, Saturday, September 8, 2012, nearly fifty people gathered at Highstead for the opening reception of the art show and a conservation presentation that followed.  Guild members exhibited drawings and paintings on the theme of Habitats.  With such a broad topic, the pieces were bound to be diverse, and they were.  

attendees intently studying the artwork and accompanying texts

To start off the presentation, Highstead staff introduced Guild leaders who introduced the show and then invited artists to give brief descriptions of their work.  This is the second Guild show I have participated in, but the first grand opening I've attended.  I was as much viewing the artwork as taking in the scene of my colleagues, their evident pride in their accomplishments, and the exhibit space at Highstead.

Dorie Petrochko talking about her Milford Harbor painting.

My entry into the juried show was my watercolor painting of the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers - which has been well documented in this blog.  And, like my colleagues, I was proud and pleased to see the effect of my piece within the show as a whole.

Me describing the unique habitat of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

http://www.highstead.net/
http://www.gnsi.org/