EUGENE, Ore. — (Feb. 22, 2012) — Eugene artist Becky Uhler strives to evoke the wonder and beauty of nature through the technical precision of her work as a natural science illustrator. Twenty-three of her works — many of them on a miniature scale — will be on view Feb. 29-June 24 at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 1680 E. 15th Ave., at the University of Oregon.
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, March 1, the museum will host an artist's reception for the exhibit. Uhler will demonstrate the steps involved in creating her illustrations and answer questions about her work. The event is free and open to the public.
Uhler's work is nationally recognized, having twice been juried into the New York State Museum's biennial "Focus on Nature" exhibit and chosen as the 2008 Traditional Botanical Illustration of the Year at the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
Included in the exhibit, which is part of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History's Pacific Northwest Artist Series, are original watercolors, glicée prints and color pencil drawings. Many of Uhler's works are quite small, only inches by inches, reflecting the delicate nature and the intricacy of her subjects. The works she chose for this exhibit are inspired by the natural habitats of the Northwest, particularly Eugene's Fern Ridge Wildlife Area.
To create her work, Uhler faces an almost paradoxical challenge: to use definitive, factual visual information to express the ineffable. "Nature is amazing, beautiful and mysterious. As an artist and natural science illustrator, my goal is to unveil the gap between what we see with our eyes and the intricate systems in nature, for it's there that something magical happens."
At the University of Washington, Uhler learned specific ways of measuring and scaling her subjects; how to research and place them in the systems in which they exist; and how to decide which materials to use to create her illustrations. Uhler adds her own memories and experiences of being personally inspired by the beauty of nature — ultimately producing images that not only represent factual data but also artistic expression.
About the Museum of Natural and Cultural History
The UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and youths ages 17 and under, and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members are admitted free. Guided tours are offered each Friday at 1:00 pm.
Media Contact: Denise Sorom, Marketing and Communications Specialist, 541-346-5083, dsorom@uoregon.edu
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