Shells, Shore and Wings to My Eyes

Yolande McGann – Through My Eyes

Yo is originally from the seaport city of New Bedford, MA. She is self-taught, and paints with oils on canvas and has a wide and varied range of subjects, using cold wax/oil and on cradled birch panels. Her travels throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico have greatly inspired her and supplied her with an extensive array of ideas and photos for her work. She loves the Southwest that has strongly influenced her paintings.

The paintings submitted for the jury were from photos taken while visiting Provence, Tuscany, Mexico, and various places in the United States. Her pieces are all oil on canvas and include a variety of subjects and sizes.

Lyrae Perry – Wings of All Kinds

WC/Gouache, mixed media and Oil

There’s nothing like the richness of oil paint to capture the brilliant color and depth of feathers, fur and skin.  It’s still my favorite medium, even though I do a lot of work in watercolor/gouache which is very linear and highly suited to fine details.  Large paintings are nearly always done in oil, and the smaller ones typically are in watercolor/gouache.

My Story…

I grew up in Big Bear Lake, CA surrounded by a National Forest.  Conservation, fire safety, wildlife and ecology are naturally major themes for residents in that community.  I can remember being thrilled with the natural world and wildlife of all kinds as a child. I regularly participated in the Forest Service’s conservation poster contests from kindergarten through high school. We also learned to properly plant

Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees in burn areas for the Forest Service. This is where my education began on the value of habitat and its management. While the primary focus of my art started with local California wildlife, it naturally grew to include species from all over the world.  The variety of color, form and function of each insect, bird, animal and plant in an ecosystem is exciting and magical to me. And there are so many!  I am continually inspired by what I see and learn. I let the big things draw me in, and then spend as much time as possible, looking for the unusual and tiny details and behaviors that are often missed by the casual glance.

Many hours of working with live birds and animals, field studies, photographic expeditions and the use of museum skins goes into the production of each painting.  Most of the time, my research goes far beyond what’s needed for an artwork, but careful study offers insight into the subtleties of behavior, form and color that a camera could miss.  I work hard to bring that little extra “something” into each artwork. I don’t want to just paint pictures of animals—I’m creating portraits of the individuals who share this planet with us.

My desire is to raise awareness with my art of the value and amazing variety of life in our world. I want to share the jewels of nature with others and to help them understand that the richness of our existence is dependent on the animals and the beautiful places in the world. We humans have the power to protect the animals and the environment.  Unfortunately most people don’t get to see and experience wildlife “up close and personal”.  Our technological society is creating more and more distance between humans and the natural world. If people don’t know what’s out there, they will never care enough about preserving the animals and the environment.  Iridescent feathers on the throat of a tiny hummingbird or rainbow colored chevrons on the backs of flying Scarlet Macaws can generate a spark to take someone from apathy to enchantment and engagement, to love and protect nature.

For me, nature and wildlife art is more than just a visual form of communication. My intention for the viewer is communion. Capturing a bit of nature through my art is an activity I love…and a spiritual practice.  I want my art to inspire others the way it inspires me, and to evoke a feeling of connectedness with all life on this planet.

Kristine Kainer -Shells and Shores

Oil Paintings As  a  child  in  a  military  family,  I  grew  up  along  the  Eastern  Seaboard.    We  moved  every  two years  throughout  New  England  and  the  mid-Atlantic  to  fulfill  my  father’s  tours  of  duty.    I enjoyed  those  moves  and  the  new  discoveries  in  each  location. Living near beaches and waterways galore, I fell in love with the coast and the treasures found along its shores.

I  also  gained  a  sense  of  wonder  about  the  ocean’s  ever-changing  nature:    soothing,  yet tempestuous;  bountiful,  yet  destructive;  powerful,  yet  fragile. My artwork attempts to capture the ocean’s many moods and the life it sustains.  My work is a juxtaposition of realistic, detailed renderings in oils with soft, almost surreal, backgrounds. Most pieces incorporate some finger painting as well. (Who said finger painting is just for children?)    Every  painting,  whether  a seashell  or  seascape,  represents  a  part  of  my  journey.    I hope that viewers will see their own journeys in some of the pieces as well and share in the wonder of the ocean.

Yolande McGann – Through My Eyes

Yo is originally from the seaport city of New Bedford, MA. She is self-taught, and paints with oils on canvas and has a wide and varied range of subjects, using cold wax/oil and on cradled birch panels. Her travels throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico have greatly inspired her and supplied her with an extensive array of ideas and photos for her work. She loves the Southwest that has strongly influenced her paintings.

The paintings submitted for the jury were from photos taken while visiting Provence, Tuscany, Mexico, and various places in the United States. Her pieces are all oil on canvas and include a variety of subjects and sizes.

Lyrae Perry – Wings of All Kinds

WC/Gouache, mixed media and Oil

There’s nothing like the richness of oil paint to capture the brilliant color and depth of feathers, fur and skin.  It’s still my favorite medium, even though I do a lot of work in watercolor/gouache which is very linear and highly suited to fine details.  Large paintings are nearly always done in oil, and the smaller ones typically are in watercolor/gouache.

My Story…

I grew up in Big Bear Lake, CA surrounded by a National Forest.  Conservation, fire safety, wildlife and ecology are naturally major themes for residents in that community.  I can remember being thrilled with the natural world and wildlife of all kinds as a child. I regularly participated in the Forest Service’s conservation poster contests from kindergarten through high school. We also learned to properly plant

Ponderosa and Jeffrey pine trees in burn areas for the Forest Service. This is where my education began on the value of habitat and its management. While the primary focus of my art started with local California wildlife, it naturally grew to include species from all over the world.  The variety of color, form and function of each insect, bird, animal and plant in an ecosystem is exciting and magical to me. And there are so many!  I am continually inspired by what I see and learn. I let the big things draw me in, and then spend as much time as possible, looking for the unusual and tiny details and behaviors that are often missed by the casual glance.

Many hours of working with live birds and animals, field studies, photographic expeditions and the use of museum skins goes into the production of each painting.  Most of the time, my research goes far beyond what’s needed for an artwork, but careful study offers insight into the subtleties of behavior, form and color that a camera could miss.  I work hard to bring that little extra “something” into each artwork. I don’t want to just paint pictures of animals—I’m creating portraits of the individuals who share this planet with us.

My desire is to raise awareness with my art of the value and amazing variety of life in our world. I want to share the jewels of nature with others and to help them understand that the richness of our existence is dependent on the animals and the beautiful places in the world. We humans have the power to protect the animals and the environment.  Unfortunately most people don’t get to see and experience wildlife “up close and personal”.  Our technological society is creating more and more distance between humans and the natural world. If people don’t know what’s out there, they will never care enough about preserving the animals and the environment.  Iridescent feathers on the throat of a tiny hummingbird or rainbow colored chevrons on the backs of flying Scarlet Macaws can generate a spark to take someone from apathy to enchantment and engagement, to love and protect nature.

For me, nature and wildlife art is more than just a visual form of communication. My intention for the viewer is communion. Capturing a bit of nature through my art is an activity I love…and a spiritual practice.  I want my art to inspire others the way it inspires me, and to evoke a feeling of connectedness with all life on this planet.

Kristine Kainer -Shells and Shores

Oil Paintings As  a  child  in  a  military  family,  I  grew  up  along  the  Eastern  Seaboard.    We  moved  every  two years  throughout  New  England  and  the  mid-Atlantic  to  fulfill  my  father’s  tours  of  duty.    I enjoyed  those  moves  and  the  new  discoveries  in  each  location. Living near beaches and waterways galore, I fell in love with the coast and the treasures found along its shores.

I  also  gained  a  sense  of  wonder  about  the  ocean’s  ever-changing  nature:    soothing,  yet tempestuous;  bountiful,  yet  destructive;  powerful,  yet  fragile. My artwork attempts to capture the ocean’s many moods and the life it sustains.  My work is a juxtaposition of realistic, detailed renderings in oils with soft, almost surreal, backgrounds. Most pieces incorporate some finger painting as well. (Who said finger painting is just for children?)    Every  painting,  whether  a seashell  or  seascape,  represents  a  part  of  my  journey.    I hope that viewers will see their own journeys in some of the pieces as well and share in the wonder of the ocean.