The
exhibit Animalia in Art, on display at Tompkins County Public Library through
March 22, 2013, features the work of six local artists.
Curator’s
Statement.
Animals
are part of our daily lives. Whether we live with a poodle or have squirrels in
our attic it is unlikely for a day to pass without bumping into another fuzzy
being. This show celebrates animals in art in a plethora of scenarios from deer
that have created a chew-line at the base of a tree, fuzzy images of a beloved
dog to a wolf headed monster suckling a black cat.
Artists
have been portraying animals for ages and it is with pleasure that I was able
to bring together 6 locals to showcase our distinct perspectives on the topic.
I have always had a fascination with animals and with art. When I melded my
interests my artwork made more sense and I think all the artists in this show
have found a similar calling to make work about the fuzzy, scaly, feathered,
“others”of the world. We can only hope to learn more about ourselves during the
process.
Jenny Pope
Featured
Artists:
Karen
Allaben-Confer
Wildlife
Artist
“ To
know the natural world is to understand it; to understand it is to love it; to
love it is to care for and interact responsibly with it.”
I have
drawn pictures almost all my life. When I married John Confer, an Ithaca college
professor, aquatic ecologist, and ornithologist, he introduced me to the world
of birds, luring me into their magic. Now, birds and all that relate to them
consume our professional and personal lives. We have shared our passions on wilderness
canoe treks in NW Ontario and northern Saskatchewan and on censuses of wildlife
on the Hudson Bay Lowlands. I have soloed to draw seabirds on islands off the
coast of Maine and Newfoundland. Everywhere we travel, we learn and are inspired.
I have come to believe
that Nature tells its own story, that science is tied inexorably to Art – both
requiring great observational skills and both seeking truth – leading to a
union which is the catalyst for an environmental ethic critical to survival of
Earth. I hope my art reflects the knowledge, responsibility, and passion that
all influence my interpretations of birds in Art.
Dede
Hatch
Photographer
Looking
closely at things is something I love to do:
removing context, isolating a shape, noticing light, feeling texture
with my eyes. I also love spending time
with my dog Pepper. Late one summer
afternoon, she indulged me while I studied her with my camera. She quietly gazed upon her universe (back
yard) while I made pictures and experienced yet another level of gratitude for
this wonderful dog of mine.
Craig
Mains
Craig
Mains is the exhibit/publications designer and co-director for the Ink Shop
Printmaking Center. He received a BFA in photography from Cleveland Institute
of Art and studied printmaking while working for the main research library at
Cornell University.
In
prints I depict things that have gone awry typically by natural causes or human
miscalculation. Usually the disaster involves objects, but locally, seemingly
the most common devastation comes from deer and their persistent defoliation of
the forests, trees, gardens and shrubs. The precise line created by the limits
of their reach is clear evidence of their appetite.
Jenny
Pope
Printmaker
Jenny Pope is a full time artist living in the finger
lakes region of New York State. She sells her work at numerous festivals around
the country including the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival Reston, VA,
Crosby Festival of the Arts Toledo, OH, Central Pennsylvania Festival of the
Arts State College, PA, Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia, PA, and Clothesline
Art Festival in Rochester, NY. Her work can be found at Chelsea River Gallery
in Chelsea, MI, Central Booking in Brooklyn, NY, Handwork Co-op Ithaca,
NY. She is currently working on a number
of projects including an ongoing series about Invasive animals, a book about
the history of Starlings from the UK to the US, Global Warming Band-aids and a
new series titled “Isolation Produces Oddballs” which is a fun way to
incorporate any creature that is isolated for any number of reasons.
Send a
note, or a message in a bottle. Enjoy art, and turn off a light, or your
computer...reuse a jar, I dunno, eat more carrots from a local farmer...
Margaret
Reed
Margaret
Reed graduated in 2003 from the Grand Valley State University illustration program
in Michigan. In 2002 she developed her charcoal drawing style while
participating in the student exchange
program to Kingston
University in England. In 2006 she moved to Ithaca and has been living here
happily ever after. Although most of her images are based on specific stories
in mythology, they depart from the strict narrative and become symbolic of the
overall identity themes in the text. Recurring imagery throughout the pieces
suggests connections to a larger story, allowing for the personal interpretations
of the viewer.
Sylvia
Taylor
The
imagery in Sylvia’s relief prints is both playful and somber, with
narratives that have an
undercurrent of longing, uncertainty and ambiguity. She often uses images of
animals in her work, as she finds them to be perfect alter egos and has always
felt a profound sense of
kinship with them. Sylvia’s work is
autobiographical, informed by experiences
and observations of life. Although much
of the work is inspired by stories that are deeply personal, viewers can relate
to the underlying sentiments that are shared universally.
In
2002, Sylvia completed her Master’s Degree in Fine Arts at Vermont College of
Norwich University. She currently lives in Ithaca, New York where she works as
a full-time studio artist.
This exhibit is made possible in part by grant support from the Community Arts Partnership.
