Owls give wide-eyed focal point for multi-artist exhibit

Thursday June 30, 2005
Homer News by reporter McKibben Jackinski

The influence of Homer's arts community is felt more than just here at the end of the road. For instance, five local artists and more than a dozen others from around the state have fixed their gaze on Denali National Park, with "In Celebration of Owls." The exhibit opened at the park's Charles Sheldon Center on Saturday, continues through Friday and was coordinated by Marybee Kaufman of Homer.

"It started in Cordova, actually," Kaufman said of the exhibit's origin. "I was doing some painting over there and talking about owls with people from the Bird TLC (Treatment and Learning Center) about supporting the work they do."

One thing led to another and owls eventually became the focus of the conversation between Kaufman and personnel from Bird TLC, an Anchorage-based nonprofit organization involved with the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned wild birds, and offering avian education programs to the public.

"TLC often brings owls to show because (owls) are such wonderful creatures visually and texturally," Kaufman said. "They are wonderful creatures to paint, have such wonderful connections to humans, Greek mythology, totems, associations of wisdom and are related to traditional masks made by Native cultures. Owls are integrated into art with such strong imagery that we thought it would be great."

By the time the exhibit opened Friday, contributing Homer artists included Kaufman and her husband, Steve, Judy Winn, Jo Going and Erik Behkle. In addition, artists from Cordova, Denali Park, Nenana, Fairbanks and Anchorage also participated. Laughing, Kaufman observed that "Migration of Owl Art" more aptly described the exhibit since it began in Homer, but enthusiasm for it spread statewide.

"Marybee is a painter of nature and she said she was planning to have the show and would I participate," said Winn, whose artwork can be found in local galleries. She created a two-by-three-foot acrylic painting for the owl exhibit. "I thought it would be fun and different, so I did a painting of an owl at night."

The Denali Foundation's Charles Sheldon Center proved a central point for the collaborative event, thanks to Kaufman's connection with the foundation as a summer guide and instructor. The Denali Foundation was formed in 1989 to develop and implement research, education and communication programs benefiting the Denali Park area, the state of Alaska and the planet.

Kaufman and her husband, a photographer, have done other exhibits at the center. In fact, they spent 10 years in central Alaska, during which Marybee Kaufman ran a guiding program and Steve worked as a ranger for the Park Service. The couple maintains strong ties to the area by returning to the region every summer.

"In Celebration of Owls" includes watercolors, acrylics, oils, mixed media and photographic imagery. After the public had an opportunity to see the exhibit, a great gray owl took a peek at the artists' contributions and the public took a peek at the owl, thanks to Bird TLC.

Kaufman is exploring other areas interested in hosting the exhibit. "We're hoping to move toward Fairbanks for a little bit and then try to bring it down through Anchorage and Homer, as well," Kaufman said.

"But I've been so busy putting it together that I haven't been able to pursue that end as much. Some of these (artists) probably don't mind if I hang onto their work for a while. We'll just see how it all works out. ... It's a remarkable exhibit, a wonderful collection."

Courtesy and Copyright Homer News. Used with permission.