The Colors of Nature BRIDGET MARCUS & PAMELA DOUGLAS

Bridget Marcus has been bird watching for most of her life and her wonder and love for birds is only increasing as the vulnerability of our avian neighbors becomes ever clearer. Growing up in South Africa much of her free time was spent in the “bushveld” resulting in a deep knowledge of South African birds. Since emigrating to the midwest United States, she has grown to know and love the birds of eastern deciduous forests and urban gardens.

Bridget loves intense, highly saturated color and so has been drawn to pastels. Jack Wilkes, her private teacher and mentor, has exposed her to the magic of this medium.

Inspired by the depth of color with pastels, Bridget has recently started developing a body of work depicting American birds that are attracted to the Michigan woodland property where she and her husband, Rick, are actively birdscaping by planting native plants to attract the insects on which specific bird species depend. This summer’s birds of note include scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings and cedar waxwings bathing in the pond, which was built as a source of water for the birds.

As a part of Bridget’s commitment to aid in bird conservation, she will donate 30% of any sales at this exhibition or from online sales to the Audubon Society to assist them in the meaningful work being done by this important organization.

“My lifelong connection with nature feeds my soul but I fear that opportunities to experience first hand its exquisite beauty and wonder are rapidly diminishing with the inexorable rise in extinction rates of so many species. I aim to share my love of and reverence for some of these magnificent creatures by depicting them through the use of texture and vibrant color. I hope to inspire those who see my work to slow down, notice, and feel.”

Pamela Douglas specializes in painting and drawing. She has worked in a lot of dierent mediums, but over the last several years, her works are primarily created in pastel. Landscapes and still life are the subject matter she paints most often. Rather than represent the row crops of the midwest, Douglas is  drawn to the beauty of the natural landscape. Her still life work contains contemporary compositions representing simple objects set in a specific orientation in space.

Whether in the studio or outside along a dusty road, Douglas enjoys the experience of being in the moment while painting. Through her works, she invites the viewer to imagine the serenity found in nature and hopefully to realize how important those places are in our world.

In Douglas’ work, the interaction of color intensity and temperature strengthens the illusion of light, color, and form. Through her continued investigation of the use of color, she intentionally works to produce the limits of depth or atmosphere.

Douglas applies pastel in a layered method, working first with the hardest density pastels and then finishing with soft pastels. Values are generally applied from dark to light. Depth of space is created by applying just the right temperature, value and intensity of color where needed.

“As a child, most of my fondest memories are about creative play. I believe being actively creative was something important enough to have brought me to what I do today. Making art teaches me something new about myself and the creative process every day. I feel most fulfilled when I am alone and experiencing the creative process.”