The English proverb that ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is evidenced by the participating artists of the Indian River Bird and Nature Show, sponsored by Pelican Island Conservation Society and on display at the Environmental Learning Center. More than 60 nature-themed works by 35 artists, whose experience ranges from beginner to longtime professional, are showcased in the show, which features acrylics, oils, watercolors, photography, two- and three-dimensional art, and mixed media pieces.
The artists have captured the beauty of our natural surroundings, whether it be birds and sea turtles or alligators and swamps; each of the works celebrates the bounty of flora and fauna found in our piece of paradise, with individual perspectives that are as varied as the feathers on a bird.
Among them, Vero Beach sculptor Cathy Ferrell’s “Little Heron” bronze is representative of her stunning sculptures of various sizes and materials that can be found in museums and collections worldwide.
“I’m just intrigued by the little blue herons. They’re so elegant and fun to watch,” says Ferrell. “I’m drawn to birds. They have a lightness of spirit and ephemeral quality.”
Ferrell explains that to capture a bird three-dimensionally, she first watches and studies it, noting that when watching an ibis in flight, she can often see the light emanating through its wings.
“There’s just something about watching birds that takes us out of ourselves. I try to put down what my heart sees. There are so many people that do every feather and every little thing, but I’m more interested in the arrested motion. It seems so much more interesting to me, that potential for movement,” says Ferrell.
“I’ve spent a lifetime making sculpture because I like to make the forms of things. I love getting my hands on things and working with the materials, because the materials take you where you need to go. I don’t see the end of the process. I just start. Sometimes the stone won’t do what you think you want it to do, but it’s got something better to teach you,” she adds.
Gail Dolphin, who has painted professionally for more than 40 years, says she has an affinity for illustrations and animal portraits. Her “Reef Turtle” watercolor beautifully illustrates her ability to manipulate “washes of color” in the background to bring her paintings to life, creating scenes right out of the ocean.
“I enjoy doing light and color, trying to get some of that undersea color. The lights change so much under the water it’s a challenge to bring some of the light into the corals. I use a lot of water to bring out the light tones,” shares Dolphin, who also dabbles in pastel, pencil, and acrylic.
Commenting that she has enjoyed learning about the wildlife she paints, Dolphin says her hope is that “people will get to see the world a little more up-close through art, more intimately.”
“Sandpipers Awaiting Sunrise,” an acrylic painting by Mark SanSouci, is a study in synchronicity. He explains that while spending time in Jensen Beach, he became mesmerized by the contrast between the individuality of each sandpiper versus the harmony of the flock as the birds moved together and picked along the wrack lines – the piles of natural debris from seaweed and marram grasses.
“This is my portrayal of what I saw,” says SanSouci. “Each bird is unique, because even though they are together, they’re not all the same. Just like people.”
To give the painting texture and depth beyond what he could create using a palette knife and acrylic paints, SanSouci placed actual shells in the piece.
“I feel like I’m an expressionist. I don’t see perfection,” says SanSouci, commenting on the difficulties of capturing the complexity of colors in the sand. “This is representative of what I saw at the time.”
Well known as an art teacher and artist, Judy Burgarella works in a variety of mediums and chose pastel pencils and pastel sticks for “Blue Heron in the Reeds.”
“They’re portable, not a messy medium, and you can bring them anywhere,” she explains, adding that her favorite medium is whichever one she has in her hand at the time.
“The more people you expose to art and nature, the more they get to see through your talents and your eyes how incredibly beautiful it is. People can walk by a bird and not see how stunning it is until they take a closer look.”
Burgarella says she spotted the heron at the water’s edge one day and, moved by the bird’s positioning and the way the light hit it, snapped a photo to capture the moment.
“He looked very calm. He wasn’t hunting. He might have been, but he was in between,” says Burgarella.
Jill Kettler says she finds acrylics easier and faster, but used oils to capture “Break of Day,” a compilation of the vibrant colors of the Florida landscapes she has seen and admired during the more than 35 years she has lived in the Sunshine State.
To capture the variety of textures in the water, sky, among the trees, and in images reflecting off the water, Kettler says she works in black and white before colorizing.
“It’s easier to make it pop a little more,” she explains.
Karen McFeaters says she tended to paint Boston architecture before moving to Vero Beach less than a year ago and has since embraced plein air painting to capture the essence of the local flora and fauna.
“It’s such a different experience. This is so much more immediate. Weather conditions and the light changes while you are painting,” she explains, adding that she appreciates the calming effect of painting outdoors.
“It’s the experience of painting outside because you’re one with the environment in that moment versus later on. It’s just much more immediate,” says McFeaters.
The Indian River Bird and Nature Show will be on display at the Environmental Learning Center through Oct. 29. It will be followed by “It’s the Little Things,” an art show of 12-inch by 12-inch paintings on display through the end of the year.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
