“Old Woods” by Mary Apffell is one of the works that will be on display during the exhibit.
By Ann McCreary
Our fine feathered (and winged) friends will be the focus of a new exhibit opening Saturday (June 7) with a public reception from 5-8 p.m. at Confluence Gallery in Twisp.
The show, titled “Birds & Bees,” celebrates birds and insects. Curator Caryl Campbell said the exhibit ties into the Year of the Bird that has been declared for 2018 by the National Geographic Society and other organizations.
“Artists love to photograph and paint birds and insects. It is our way of honoring them and keeping them in our lives. In this exhibit we have a multitude of examples of bird as muse,” Campbell said. “They are always among us but never of us. Thus, they serve as a chastising reminder that we are not the measure of all things.”
Photographer Mary Kiesau has included photos of native bees, beetles and butterflies, but said birds hold a special attraction for her. “Birds are the huge reason I spend so much time outside in the spring and summer months,” she said. “I see, hear and learn new things every time I go birding, and I love birds for giving me a love for life-long learning.”
Painter Tamera Abate found in birds her inspiration for colorful, fanciful paintings of birds from around the world. “The paintings I’ve submitted for this show are daydreams turned into paintings,” she said. “With swirls of luscious, molten wax, each bird comes to life in its own unique way.”
Confluence Gallery’s community gallery will feature “Shivelight,” a solo show from collage artist Mary Apffel. Shivelight, according to poet Gerard Manely Hopkins, means “lances of sunshine that pierce the canopy of a wood.” Working with paper and paint, Apffel captures her love of nature by using the connection between light, trees, rocks and other elements of landscapes. Both exhibits run through Aug. 11. For more information call 997-2787.
