Connecticut Audubon Society's fifth annual Birds and Their Habitat art exhibit features artist of the year Katie Lee of Nobleboro, ME and 23 other artists in a celebration of the beauty of birds and their importance to conservation in Connecticut.
Birds and Their Habitat opens on Friday, Sept. 26, with a reception and viewing, and continues Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr St.
"Throughout history, the dreams and aspirations of mankind have been allegorically portrayed by one creature above all others - the bird," said Nelson North, director of Fairfield operations for Connecticut Audubon Society. "The art of depicting birds has become a living history as rich in its past as in its promise of a continuing future. Today a growing desire to meaningfully connect with the natural world has fostered a revival of interest in birds. That's why Connecticut Audubon Society-- whose mission is to conserve Connecticut's environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state's birds and habitats -- is bringing together talented artists who specialize in avian art and the beauty of nature during its fifth annual Birds and Their Habitat juried artists' exhibition and sale."
The exhibit celebrates our relationship to birds and the natural world through the fresh artistic interpretations of 24 artists -- Sue deLearie Adair, Joy Beckner, Alexander Burdo, Matthew Derezinski, Teek Eaton-Koch, Dave Farrington, A.J. Hand, Ryan Jacque, Don Kanzler, S. Chandler Kissell, Katie Lee, Sharon Rowley Morgio, Sean Murtha, Dorie Petrochko, Jen Prat, Kelly Leahy Radding, Bill Rice, Brianna Rignanese, Carolyn K. Smith, Ed Soderberg, Judith Taylor, Charles Wallis, Chandler Wiegand and Gail Yanowitch.
Media includes paintings, sculptures, wood carvings, drawings, prints, pottery and photographs. Student art will also be on display from Unquowa School, Greens Farms Academy and Fairfield Country Day.
The events kick off on Friday night, September 26, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. with a Gala Preview party. There will be a buffet, cocktails and a silent auction. Tickets for the Preview Party are $75 per person and are available online at www.ctaudubon.org or by calling 203-259-6305 ext. 109.
Gallery Hours are Saturday, September 27, and Sunday, September 28, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are $5.
The event chairs are Peggy Duncan of Southport and CAS Board Member Judy Richardson of Easton. Lead sponsors are Forger/Kunkel Plumbing and Heating, Granville Printing, W. Jennings Company, Moffly Media, Pequot Library, and Seaman Schepps.
Each year, as part of Birds and Their Habitat, the Connecticut Audubon Society selects an Artist of the Year.
"We are so thrilled to announce Katie Lee as our Artist of the Year," said Nelson North, director of Fairfield operations. “As an important part of Birds and Their Habitat, we showcase artists who are outstanding in their ability to depict birds in their habitat. Their art is a source of inspiration to us all.”
Katie Lee has been an instructor in the New York Botanical Garden Botanical Illustration program and the Coastal Maine Botanic Garden, and she conducts online courses with students worldwide. Lee teaches drawing, watercolor, acrylic and composition courses specializing in botanical and zoological subjects. She has led numerous sketching safaris to Botswana and field sketching trips to South America.
“After my first one person show I was sent a tiny card with an illustration of a kite sailing across a blue sky, inside were the words “Congratulations you have found yourself, now anything is possible,” Lee said. “I now teach so that others may find their kite and string, so they can develop their individual artistic voice which will take them wherever they choose to go. All it takes is gentle, positive encouragement. I hope my paintings touch a heart, stir a sense of responsibility, or at least create an understanding that it is important to protect these precious species, so that future generations still see, in the wild, the wonders I have painted.”
Lee’s work can be found in private collections in England, Australia, the United States and South Africa. A number of her works are in Dr. Shirley Sherwood’s Contemporary Botanical Artists Collection; and the Alisa and Isaac Sutton Collection.
Her work has twice been accepted into the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s “Birds in Art.” She has exhibited at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh; Bell Museum of National History, University of Minnesota; Weisman Museum, Minneapolis; Tryon Swann Gallery, London, England; Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Ct., and the Newhouse Gallery in New York City. Awards include, Don Harrington Discovery Center; Merit Award for Excellence, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden Biennial; Gold Medal for Excellence, Best in Show 2004.
Lee wrote and illustrated Fundamental Graphite Techniques and A Visit to Galapagos. She has illustrated a number of children’s books, including Puffin’s Homecoming, Black Bear Cub, Orca Song, Monarch of Aster and Underwater with Ogden Nash and Who Comes?
2014 Birds and Their Habitat Schedule of Events:Friday, September 26, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Preview Party with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and silent auction.
Tickets are $75
Saturday-Sunday, September 27 - 28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.:
Artwork on display. Admission is $5 (good for both days!)
Live “Birds of Prey” demonstrations at 12:00 am and 2:00 pm.
Refreshments by the Butterfly Garden Café Committee
Saturday, September 27 11:00 am
Bird Sketching Class with Katie Lee. $10 (includes admission) call for reservation 203-259-6305 ext. 109
Saturday, September 27 1:00 pm
Childrens’ bird crafting projectsSunday, September 28 11:00 am
James Prosek Talks about Birds
Artist’s work will be for sale and on display throughout the weekend. At Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr Street, Fairfield,
For tickets or more information call 203-259-6305 ext. 109 or visit the website at www.ctaudubon.org