Birding VOL.35 . NO.5 .October 2003
Bird Art Online
Art and ornithology are linked gorgeously in an online registry of artists
developed and maintained at Stanford University. The website,<artist-registry.
stanford.edu>, is designed primarily for researchers seeking original
art to accompany their publications, but every lover of bird art can
appreciate it as a gallery to be savored.
The registry is produce by Darryl Wheye, a prominent bird artist, and
the significance of the project was evident in the eminence of two
Stanford
luminaries who joined her in announcing it in 2002: Donald Kennedy, president
emeritus of the university and editor-in-chief of the journal Science,
and Paul Ehrlich, president of the university’s Center for Conservation
Biology. As evidence of a great need for the service, they estimated
that more than 6,000 bird-related research articles in English are published
each year in more than 300 journals. They predicted an increasing interest
by researchers in “high-end bird images” to reach a broader audience,
and they emphasized that “artwork that captures the popular imagination
is a key asset for protecting birds, for broadening pleasure in the presence,
and for maintaining the link between support for basic research and successful
conservation efforts.” An impressive list of 14 sponsoring organizations,
including the American Birding Association, attests further to the registry’s
importance.
More than 70 artists worldwide are represented by samples of their work,
biographical notes, and information on how to contact them. Some such
as Barry Kent MacKay of Ontario, John P. O’Neill of Louisiana, and Julie
Zickefoose of Ohio may be familiar to North American birders. Others
may be unfamiliar but deserve wide recognition; for example, don’t miss
the sun-dappled “White Peacock” by Christophe Drochon of France, the
breathtaking photorealism on a page of feathers by Ron Meier of Germany,
and the hyper-intense pinks, blues, and greens in a flamingo portrait
by Sadao Naito of Japan.
The artists are categorized by their specialties, styles, and geographic
preferences. If you require the precision of scientific draftsmanship,
you can find it (although researchers might wish that the samples included
black-and-white line drawings). If you need illustrations for identification
guides, your specifications surely can be met (although prices vary so
widely among artists that no cost estimates are offered). Finally, if
you simply seek art for art’s
sake, you will find it in abundance on the website.
|