On November 27, a thin band of light illuminated the museum and dark, stormy clouds. The low fall sun illuminated the landscape around the museum. It was a beautiful and uplifting sight. Enjoy this photograph of the scene.
Tag Archives: Museum
Drawing Owls from Life on Saturday April 7
Have you wanted to look closely at and draw a live Great Horned Owl or Barn Owl? Our Drawing Owls from Live program is a unique opportunity to learn about these amazing creatures in an intimate and beautiful setting. This program will take place in the Museum of American Bird Art from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 7th, 2018.
Check out this video from a similar program for homeschool students that took place in February 2018. This will give you a good sense of how close you will be to the Owls, how the program is organized, and our beautiful museum space where the program will take place.
During this class, you will sketch live owls in our beautiful Museum of American Bird Art. Discover more about these amazing creatures from a trained Mass Audubon naturalist, while you learn to draw owls from life with pencil and paper in this hands-on workshop led by a trained Mass Audubon art educator. You will explore methods for developing your owl sketch, as well as techniques for capturing depth, volume, and texture. This program will take place in the Museum of American Bird Art from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, April 7th.
Show Time!
Museum of American Bird Art, Canton May 2017
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that the posts have slowed down abit. There’s a reason for this. With the opening of my residency exhibition at the Museum of American Bird Art scheduled for May 21, 2017, I’ve had to put the sanctuary visits aside and spend all of my time on show preparations.
IN A NATURAL STATE: Barry Van Dusen Paints the Nature of Mass Audubon, presents more than 60 original watercolors from the residency project. On exhibit are watercolors of birds, landscapes, flowers, mammals, fish, insects and more, inspired by my visits to 54 Mass Audubon properties across the state. The paintings are accompanied by narrative labels that chronicle my experiences and adventures over the course of the two-year project.
Gary Clayton (President of Mass Audubon), Amy Montague (Director of the Museum of American Bird Art) and Barry Van Dusen (Artist)
In the mezzanine, visitors can see a display of my sketchbooks and field kit, and a chronological slideshow on the large mezzanine monitor includes ALL of my residency paintings up to the present time (more than 150!), along with related sketches and photographs.
The installation would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the Museum staff: Amy Montague, Sean Kent, Owen Cunningham, Sarah McClellan, and volunteer Julianne Mehegan. Their dedication and professionalism continues to fill me with awe!
Museum staff Owen Cunningham and Sean Kent talk over details of the installation
There’s plenty of time to take in the exhibition, which will be on display throughout the summer, closing on September 17, 2017. I hope those of you who have not yet seen the exhibit (or the Museum), will pay a visit!
Getting back to the residency project – I still have a few Mass Audubon properties to visit this summer, so stay tuned for future blog posts from Endicott (Wenham), Blue Hills Trailside Museum (Milton), Felix Neck (Edgartown), Lime Kiln Farm (Sheffield) and Richardson Brook (Tolland). With my sanctuary visits coming to an end, I’m feeling a reluctance to finish. It’s been a wonderful experience exploring the Nature of Mass Audubon!
A Note to Collectors
A selection of my original watercolors has been purchased by the Massachusetts Audubon Society for the Museum’s permanent collection, but many of the originals are available for sale to private individuals. When you visit the Museum, ask for a price list at the front desk. Also, feel free to contact me to check on availability of any of the paintings you see on the Taking Flight blog, or on the slideshow in the Museum’s mezzanine. Write me at [email protected].
Around the Museum
September 1, 2016
Museum of American Bird Art, Canton
The Museum of American Bird Art in Canton is the sponsoring sanctuary for this residency, and I’ve been looking forward to spending some time exploring the property. I’ve visited MABA many times to take in exhibitions or present workshops and lectures, but I’ve never explored the trails!
It’s raining when I arrive at the Museum – which is notable, since less than 4” of rain has fallen throughout ALL of this hot, dry summer. Massachusetts is experiencing a drought of historic proportions. So, I don’t mind the rain as I start down the Main Loop Trail behind the Gallery. The moisture has intensified the color of the pine needles carpeting the forest floor in the Pine Grove, and I pause to take in the scene.
The Pequit Brook Trail leads through the center of the reserve, providing the shortest route to the brook. I’m hoping to find some cardinal flowers still in bloom along the brook – which is classic cardinal flower habitat. I’m afraid I might be too late, but with some searching I locate one small plant topped with a single blossom. Encouraged, I make my way up the brook, hopping from rock to rock and pushing past the heavy growth along the banks. Upstream, I find several tall, mature flower spikes heavy with bloom, and other spikes that have nearly done flowering, with just a few buds remaining at the tip. The rain has let up, so I take out my sketchbook and make some pencil drawings. To get the right viewpoint, I need to squat or kneel on the rocks as I draw, and the discomfort of these precarious drawing positions urges me to draw faster!
Sketchbook studies of Cardinal Flowers, pencil, 9″ x 12″
Later, in my studio, I use these pencil drawings to develop a finished watercolor. You’ll see how I’ve re-arranged the pencil studies for a better composition, and used a background wash to tie the individual studies together. I’ve also transcribed some of the written notes to the painting – they supply another layer of information that adds to the understanding and appreciation of this gorgeous native wildflower.
Cardinal Flowers at Pequit Brook, watercolor on Arches hot-press, 11.5″ x 13.5″
Bird activity is best in the meadow below the Gallery building, so I linger here on my return. A young phoebe hunts from a high, open perch at the edge of the meadow.
Sketchbook study of a young phoebe, pencil, 6″ x 6″
The vantage point, looking upwards at the bird, shows the BROAD base of the bill – which is not so evident in a straight side-view. Catbirds, robins, and cardinals dodge from shrub to shrub searching for berries, while nuthatches, chickadees and a red-bellied woodpecker work over a big, dead snag.
Pokeweed
Though it’s been an exceptionally dry summer, the ripeness of autumn is everywhere in evidence. Heavy fronds of goldenrod and curly dock rise above the ripe grasses, and bright, arching spires of pokeweed lend some notes of bright color.
In the grape arbor, the fruits are turning from lime green to pink to deep ultramarine blue…
Sketchbook studies at the Grape Arbor, pencil and watercolor, 8.5″ x 10″
I walk slowly around the Gallery building, looking for the best angle on this handsome structure, and finally settle in a spot near the bird blind and bird feeders. It’s not a view of the Gallery that most visitors see, but I like the way the two graceful chimneys bracket the building, and the tudor-style articulation on the south- facing gable makes a good focal point. I make a careful pencil drawing, paying extra attention to the angles and proportions.
The pencil drawing, made on location
My father was a good draughtsman, and taught my brothers and I to draw in perspective at a young age, so drawing in perspective is fairly natural to me. Still, I need to observe closely and draw slowly to capture the unique character of the structure. As I’m finishing the drawing, the rain starts up again, and I’m forced to put the drawing away…
You’ll notice that there are no BIRDS in the picture. Instead, I’ve made an oblique reference to them by including the bird feeder in the foreground. There are lots of wonderful birds, of course, INSIDE the building!
The Museum of American Bird Art, watercolor on Arches cold-press, 10.25″ x 14.25″
The Exhibition Gallery was built in 1938 as a studio where the previous owner, Mildred Morse Allen, could practice her art. The building was extensively renovated and updated after Mass Audubon acquired the property in 1992. The lower level was converted to a conservators office and a fire-proof, climate controlled storage vault. The south gable you see here encloses a small exhibition space, while the spacious main gallery occupies the bulk of the upper level. If you haven’t visited the Museum, and perused one of its beautifully presented exhibitions, you’re in for a treat!