A Naturalist's Eden: Don Richard Eckelberry's Birds of Trini

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Dates:	Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun from 5/23/15 - 9/7/15
Hours:	1 to 5 pm
Ages:	Infants, Toddlers, Kids, Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor:	Indoor
Cost:	$ see below
Category:	Arts & Culture

The Museum of American Bird Art presents A Naturalist’s Eden, an exhibition of these rarely-seen watercolors by one of the legendary American bird artists of the 20th century.

An artist at heart, an ornithologist by experience.

That was how Don Richard Eckelberry (1921-2001) characterized his singular preoccupation with studying and painting birds.

Realism dominated his painting style.

It also was well suited to the illustrations he rendered for publication in field guides, books, magazines, and ornithological journals.

While his technical skills are unquestionable, what captures your attention and makes his work memorable, is the “life spark” he gave to each bird.

Plumage in brilliant hues of blue, yellow, red, and green may catch your eye, but a closer look at the jewel-like honeycreepers, green hermits, turquoise tanagers, and yellowbellied elaenias, reveals the proper tilt of the heads, arc of the beaks, or uplifted tails those physical traits that further distinguish each bird.

This attention to detail exemplifies the well-studied artist and is what distinguishes Don Eckelberry’s style.

The artworks comprising A Naturalist’s Eden bring together Eckelberry’s two working styles: artistic expression and ornithological illustration.

During the early part of the twentieth century, Eckelberry responded to a seemingly unending need for ornithological illustrations, leaving little time for easel painting.

The works in this exhibition were a departure; the result of artist and ornithologist meeting in the middle.

Lacking detailed habitats, the compositions may seem spare, but, in fact, this serves to enhance the birds’ elegance.

Some sheets include pencil sketches of branches and fence posts, full-flowered tree limbs, and blooming plant stalks; such details are always thoughtfully placed.

The results are mesmerizing.

The birds depicted here were painted by Eckelberry in Trinidad.

There, he worked en plein air, his bird “models” captured in mist-nets.

These nets consist of swaths of nylon mesh suspended between two long poles.

The nearly invisible fabric gently traps the birds.

Once snared, they are quickly removed to avoid injury.

Eckelberry used a glassfronted, screen-topped box to keep the captured birds safe and healthy while studying and painting each.

Eventually the birds are released unharmed.

Knowing your subject is paramount; Eckelberry enthusiastically embraced this axiom.

He spent many months in the tropical climes of Trinidad, where the birds he sought to paint surrounded him.

He made hundreds of drawings and dozens of exquisite watercolors.

Few artists can match the first-hand experiences evident in Eckelberry’s work.
Thanks to the 2009 bequest of Virginia Nepodal Eckelberry, the Woodson Art Museum is now home to the Don Richard Eckelberry Estate.

The works in this exhibition represent a small portion of the treasure-trove of artwork, letters, books, and ephemera that now resides in Wausau.

COST

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Members: FreeNon-members: 4$

WEBSITE

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www.massaudubon.org/learn/museum-of-american-bird-art/location-directions/museum-of-american-bird-art

LOCATION

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963 Washington Street, Canton, MA, 02021 map
Phone: 781-821-8853

Driving Directions
From Rt I-93: Take exit 2A (Rt 138 south). After 0.7 miles, turn right at the traffic lights onto Washington Street. The sanctuary is 2.4 miles ahead on the left, across from Canton High School.

By public transportation: Take the MBTA commuter rail from South Station in Boston to the Canton Center stop. Turn left out of the station onto Washington Street. The sanctuary is 0.5 miles ahead on the right, across from Canton High School.