At first glance, the painting of a quartet of wild turkeys looks out of place on the walls of the Wildling Museum in Solvang.
The new exhibit, Our Feathered Friends, features the paintings of three California artists who specialize in nature and bird paintings. But George Lockwood‘s work, Spring Gobblers, looks so real it might trick one into thinking it’s a photograph that accidentally got hung in the wrong exhibit.
Upon closer inspection, Lockwood’s astounding work is revealed to be an oil painting, albeit one with extraordinary detail. The feathers appear soft enough to touch. The eyes of the birds glisten, ever so slightly. The birds are enveloped in a gentle halo of soft light. But what Lockwood really manages to capture with such exquisite quality is the expression of the birds themselves.
The painting is a standout in a new exhibit at the Wildling Museum. Our Feathered Friends: Birds of the Tri-Counties features Jim Hodgson, René C. Reyes, and Lockwood sharing paintings of birds that are found in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The region is known for its diversity of bird species and is a migratory stop along what is known as the Pacific Flyway. The Flyway is the north-south path that migrating birds take from Alaska to South America, making it a popular draw for avid bird watchers.
One of those avid watchers is Hodgson, whose work is reminiscent of the stunningly detailed James Audubon paintings that electrified a nation’s interest in birdwatching more than 150 years ago. Hodgson, whose work is influenced by Robert Bateman and John Seery-Lester, said his interest in wildlife started when he was a young boy, captivated by animals.
“As a child I was always drawing, and it just went on from there,” he said. “I started studying lizards and snakes as a kid and had them as pets, then some bug collecting for school. I was invited to go birding with some friends of my parents when I was 13 and never stopped.”
Hodgson said his artistic process involves birding, often in search of a particular species. He does field sketches and then works on an oil painting that can take up to three months to complete.
“The biggest challenge is getting the shape of the bird correct,” he said, “and making sure the composition looks natural.”
Reyes’ watercolor paintings of birds are at times whimsical and captivating. The work in the exhibit is ornately detailed and yet subtly stylistic. One painting, Sun Worship, is a remarkable examination of a vulture perched on a branch looking over its shoulder at the viewer as several dark birds fly behind it on the horizon. Reyes captures something very haunting about the animal—its beautifully colorful wings basking in the glow of the sun, yet retaining the carrion savagery as the bird gazes ominously off in the distance.
Hodgson said the exhibit and others like it help perform an important service that extends beyond mere art appreciation.
“Exposure to art, any art, is a good thing and helps people connect not only with other people but also with the environment,” he said. “Birds of the Tri-County helps people develop a better understanding and an appreciation for birds and other wildlife inhabiting their yards, neighborhoods, and local environments.”
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose is strictly for the birds. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 3, 2018.