Friday, April 2, 2010

Focus on Nature Exhibition

"Focus on Nature XI: Natural History Illustration opens April 12 at the New York State Museum, showcasing world-class, juried artwork by top illustrators from 13 countries," says the official press release.

"This exhibition, open through October 31 in the Photography Gallery, will feature 93 natural history illustrations, representing the work of 73 illustrators from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. The subjects represented are diverse, ranging from those only found in the artists’ home country to those that have a worldwide distribution.

"They include the Short-beaked Echidna, the Platypus, and the Leadbeater’s Possum, all mammals found only in Australia, and the Red Andreaea, a plant endemic to the Agulhas Negras Mountains of Brazil. Also represented are many birds familiar in the northeastern U.S. such as the Peregrine Falcon, Barred Owl, Connecticut Warbler, House Sparrow, and one of the world’s most widespread -- the Barn Owl. There also are illustrations of an African Dung Beetle, along with the producer of its nourishment -- an African elephant. Also included are recreations of extinct organisms such as the Apatosaurus (a dinosaur), Deinosuchus (an ancient crocodile), Odontochelys (the ancestor of turtles) and Titanoboa (shown above)."

Due to New York State budget woes, there won’t be a formal opening event, so I may not be able to be there on the first day.
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More at the Focus on Nature website.

List of selected artists.
Guild of Natural Science Illustration (GNSI), a related organization.
Message from founder and juror Patricia Kernan.
Previously on GurneyJourney: Titanoboa (giant snake).

An online catalog with images and statements by the artists, as well as the names of Jury Award winners, will be available on this website after April 13. An interactive with this information also will be in the exhibition gallery.

6 comments:

goat89 said...

The cover art is already making me jealous. ><

Stepherz7 said...

Awesome! I wish I could go! My lecturer Alan Male is showing his work! Why am I in England!?!

Mark Heng said...

Man, I actually feel sorry for that poor alligator. The drama!

Doodle.nl said...

Yours is sooooo good. Wish I could visit the show, but alas....Holland...

DrawDan said...

Thank you for mentioning this, James.
I was able to drive down to Albany (from Montreal) specifically to visit this exhibition. Beautiful, stunning work all around! Well worth the trip.

James Gurney said...

Dan, thanks for making the long trip down to Albany, and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. It's a rare treat.