Birds in Their Habitat Art Exhibition at Birdcraft in Fairfield Connecticut Sept. 24 & 25

Connecticut Audubon Society is bringing together talented artists from around the country who specialize in avian art during its second annual Birds In Their Habitat juried artists' exhibition and sale at Birdcraft located on 2325 Burr Rd. in Fairfield Connecticut. This annual event is taking place September 23-25.

Twenty one artists working in a variety of media have been selected to display and sell their works. Jury selection of participating artists was based upon technique, execution, quality and uniqueness of work. The exhibition will illustrate that wildlife artists are committed to close observation and rendering fine artworks so that others may recognize the beauty of our natural world. Media includes: painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, wood carving and fine art crafts. In addition to the art show, live birds of prey will be on hand for live demonstrations. Refreshments will be provided by the Butterfly Garden Cafe Committee.

This year's Juried Show and Sale will feature the following Painters: Sue deLearie Adair: Etching, Del-Bourree Bach: Acrylic,
Wendy Brockman: Graphite and Watercolor, Mary Christiansen: Gouache and Graphite, Michael DiGiorgio: Watercolor and Oil,
Katie Lee: Graphite and Acrylic, Carol McArdle: Oil and Acrylic, Sharon Rowley Morgio: Oil and Watercolor, Sean Murtha: Oil and Watercolor, Dorie Petrochko: Watercolor, Kelly Leahy Radding: Gouache and Watercolor, Carolyn K. Smith: Graphite and Watercolor, Linda Thomas: Watercolor and Oil, and Patricia J. Wynne: Colored Pencil and Etching. Photographers featured at the show include: Paige Alexander, Michael Amodeo, Lori Bolle, and Margaret Harris. The pottery works of Judith Taylor and the Woodcarving of Roscoc Condon and Bill Rice will also be highlighted.

In addition, Connecticut Audubon Society has selected Floyd Scholz as its 2011 "artist of the year." A professional carver since 1983 and in his fortyfirst year of carving, Floyd Scholz is universally recognized as a top carver of birds in the world. His portrayal of eagles, hawks, owls and many other large birds has won him a large international following and many top awards at major shows throughout the country. When not in his studio, traveling and doing essential field studies of birds take up most of his time.

The Preview Party is Friday, September 23 from 6:30 to 9:30 at Birdcraft located on 2325 Burr Street in Fairfield CT. The Show and Sale opens to the general public on Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM; adults are $5.00 and children under 10 are free. Proceeds from this event will benefit educational programs in the Fairfield region. For additional information, call 203-259-6305 ext. 109 or visit http://www.ctaudubon.org.



About Birdcraft Museum

Founded in 1914, Birdcraft is the first private bird sanctuary in the United States. This six-acre site was originally planted as a refuge to attract, harbor, and feed migratory and resident birds. To date, more than 120 bird species have been recorded on its grounds. Birdcraft's focus today is offering premier natural history education programs and events for children and adults. It is also a federally-licensed Bird-Banding Station.

The Museum and Cottage were the original headquarters of the Connecticut Audubon Society. The Museum contains dioramas of Connecticut's wildlife and habitats as they existed at the beginning of the 20th Century; the Four Seasons Room, which shows bird diversity over the years; the Frederick T. Bedford Collection of African Animals, and changing exhibits.

New Exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking Sept. 18- Nov. 13

The new exhibition, featuring artist Jack Boul, at The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) opens on Sunday, September 18 at 2 pm, and is on view through Sunday, November 13, 2011. This exhibition is a northeast premiere, for an accomplished artist and educator whose idyllic landscapes and scenes of everyday life at home and abroad are well known in the Washington DC area.

On view are over 150 works representing subject matter that has concerned and inspired this artist for decades. His signature cows and dancers appear throughout the Grace Ross Shanley Gallery at CCP, sometimes as printmaker's monotypes, again as painter's oils on board, and yet again as sculptor's bronzes.

At the heart of the exhibition are Jack Boul's monotypes, depicting dancers and cityscapes, cows and graineries, guitarists, musicians, and wait staff. "For this artist, there is no perceived hierarchy in his studio, where his two etching presses are a few feet away from his easel, always at the ready", writes Anthony Kirk, curator of the exhibition. At CCP, Artistic Director and Master Printer Anthony Kirk helped the artist translate a number of his monotypes into photopolymer intaglio plates. Several recent editions made from these plates are included in the exhibition.

Jack Boul was born in Brooklyn, in 1927, the son of a Russian émigré father and a Romanian mother. Boul first studied art at the American Artist's School, and then he studied at the Cornish School of Art, on the GI Bill. He moved to Washington DC, and continued his art studies at American University, where he eventually joined the art faculty, and was a distinguished professor for 15 years. In 1984, Boul was a founding faculty member of the new Washington Studio School, where he taught painting, drawing and monotype for ten years before retiring in 1994, to devote his full time to printmaking and painting. His first museum exhibition was held at the Baltimore Museum of Art, in 1994. The Corcoran Gallery of Art held a career retrospective for the artist, in 2000. The National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art own impressions of his monotypes.

Exhibition-related Events

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) is conducting a writing competition, based on the "soulful" works of Jack Boul, in collaboration with Ina Chadwick's MouseMuse Productions, an arts partnering company located in Westport, CT. Entry deadline for the competition, named "Déjà Vu", is September 23, 2011 at 5 pm. The winning works will be read by professional actors at a CCP festive awards ceremony and reception, on Sunday, November 13, 2011, at 4 pm. For more information, visit www.contemprints.org/writers.

Reception

The public is invited to the opening reception for the new exhibition, Jack Boul: Intimate Scale: Paintings, Sculptures, Monotypes Sunday, September 18, from 2 – 5 pm, at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. Rumor has it that Jack Boul and his son, David, may be in attendance. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking

Normal hours are Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. The gallery is located at 299 West Ave., in Mathews Park, Norwalk, CT., 203-899-7999, www.contemprints.org. Admission is free, and the gallery is handicapped accessible.

Painting Caption: On a Grey Day