A new art exhibit at Stacya Silverman Art & Beauty features the beauty of our fine feathered friends – “Flocks, Murders, Gaggles and Coveys: A Celebration of Birds” opens this Sunday, with an opening reception on Sunday, April 6th from 1pm to 4pm.
The exhibit features bird photography by Judith Roan, mechanical birds that move and sing by Bliss Kolb, and birds on paper with dried leaves by Fred Martell. The show runs through June at the gallery located at 614 W McGraw St, Suite 101.
Here’s the rundown on the featured artists:
Judith Roan began seriously photographing birds in the early nineties when she started making weekly tallies of the birds she observes and studies on Mercer Island where she lives. Her photos are not merely studies of the birds in the area, but images that capture their routines, nature, and habitat. The song, movement, action and drama of the birds are carefully observed and recorded. The birds in her extraordinary pictures are all photographed here in the Pacific Northwest. Roan works closely with her photographer husband, Ron Reeder, and they often share work and images with one another.
Bliss Kolb has long been drawn to machines and the beauty of engineering, both of which are immediately apparent in his astonishing moving bird sculptures. For over 30 years, he has been designing and building cabinetry, award-winning theatrical sets, props, lighting and furniture. In 2010 he began pursuing a lifelong interest in Automata, or mechanical moving creatures. Kolb states, “Looking over the wonderful, clever works of automata throughout its history, the thing that continues to hook me is the imitation or illusion of life: an obvious machine that moves so realistically it seems to be alive”. Kolb was born and raised in Seattle and attended The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington, with additional training in musical instrument construction and clock repair.
Fred Martell has been a resident of Manhattan’s East Village for the last 50 years. He studied design and architecture at Kansas State University, where he also studied theater. Fred collected leaves wherever he went, including leaves where he was born and raised in Vermont. He pressed and cured the leaves in phone books. No inks or dyes are used in creating his works. The color and detail that make up the beauty of the bird image is provided by cutting and assembling different leaves. His frames are hand-made from found objects and discarded scrap lumber. Martell’s work reflects the spirit of the arts and crafts movement as well as American folk art traditions.
For more information on the show, you can contact contact Stacya Silverman via email or at 206.270.9465.