Woodson Museum acquires
"Ivy League"

In my mind, there is no greater validation for an artist than to have a museum express its desire to purchase her work for its permanent collection. Even nicer that it was the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, following the 2011 Birds in Art exhibition. Inspired by my favorite songbird, the whimsical white-breasted nuthatch, “Ivy League,” was juried into this year’s show of approximately100 works chosen among just under 1,000 entries by nearly 600 artists from around the globe. It is quite an honor to be selected to exhibit at this internationally acclaimed annual juried exhibition that showcases a variety of flat and 3D artistic styles – from impressionism to satirical caricature.

This marks my second year at Birds in Art, an exhibition that sets the standard for avian art. Artists are challenged to work outside the box conceptually and inventively and bring to the table their best and most creative work. The judging criteria always remain the same: meeting and exceeding the expectations of a world class jury. Make no mistake that the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum seeks to present the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter.

The inaugural weekend this year was thrilling for me personally as well as professionally. It is fabulous to see all the awe-inspiring art, to strengthen frienships with the invited artists in attendance, museum staff, patrons and guests. But on a personal note, I was fortunate to meet another artist who employs pyrography as her primary medium. Nobuko Kumasaka from Japan was also there representing her rendition of spot-billed ducks on basswood entitled “Take Five.” Our techniques are quite different, as is the wood on which we burn. We took to each other as if we were two long lost friends, breaking through our language barrier and learning so much about each other and her art.