Lyceum Programs Through March 14

Date: February 25, 2009
Contact: Kyle Patterson, 970-586-1363

Saturday, February 28, 7:00 p.m. – Essence of Landscapes, My Love of Aspen
Patty Hawkins, local artist and quilter, calls her art quilts fabric collages, abstracting nature. Experience her expression of the natural world, especially aspen trees, in this one hour program. Forest depth and mountain contour shape her creations. She adds visual texture with machine stitching; a layer of tulle creates shadows. She will share a wide variety of styles from “pole wrapped” pieces to dyed fabrics to organic screen prints. Patty describes the creative process as being “truly like chocolate cake, without the calories - just delicious!” Come see for yourself her beautiful artwork.

Saturday, March 7, 7:00 p.m. - Small Mountain Owls
Ornithologist and artist, Scott Rashid is inspired by the small owls that inhabit Rocky Mountain National Park; the Northern Pygmy-Owl, the Flammulated Owl, the Northern Saw-whet Owl and the Boreal Owl. Scott will present a brief description of the bird’s natural history then talk about how they have inspired his art. He will conclude his presentation by discussing his involvement with the rehabilitation of birds of prey.

Scott has been passionate about owls ever since he saw his first Great Horned Owl in the early 1980s. He has been working with wild birds through banding since 1986 and rehabilitation since 1994. After moving to Colorado in 1989, he began banding, researching, and photographing a number of avian species including several species of owls, Rosy Finches, Band-tailed Pigeons, American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Coo­per’s Hawks, Northern Goshawks, and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.

He has been drawing and painting birds since child­hood. In 2002, he illustrated the book Birding Rocky Moun­tain National Park, written by Scott Roederer. He also illustrated a Wilson’s Snipe on the cover of the Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Working primarily in watercolor, he has painted numer­ous North American bird species with a major interest in hawks and owls. His art is in numerous private collections throughout North America and Europe.

Since 1997, Scott has managed a permanent banding station at the YMCA of the Rockies just south of Estes Park. During the banding sessions, he traps and bands a variety species including warblers, sparrows, hawks, owls, and even hummingbirds.

Saturday, March 14, 7:00 p.m. - Motivations of a Wood Carver
Art can be a deeply personal form of expression. Hear from Loveland woodcarver Paul Price about where he finds inspiration for his popular caricatures, critters, and hiking sticks. A little basswood or butternut, a good carving knife, and an eye for detail are just the starting points for his wood creations. Several of Paul's pieces will be on display before and after the program.

Self described as “deep down a geek,” Paul is a computer scientist of 25 years with training in software engineering and artificial intelligence. He currently works for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Fort Collins, managing several terabytes of information. He mentions, “All of this Left-Brain stuff is fun, but for a long time I felt something was missing. In the 1990’s, I rediscovered art as a way to satisfy the other half of my brain, and got serious about wood carving.”

He normally carves with wood and occasionally draws or works in clay. His favorite subjects are caricatures. Wildlife “critters,” Santa Claus and hiking sticks are other common themes. Paul is the founder and current president of the Loveland Carving Club.

The theme of the 2009 Lyceum Series is “Celebrate our Natural World: Artists Who Are Inspired by the Environment.” This year’s series has a cultural focus. The presentations will highlight how the natural world influences and inspires artists. Artists of all types: singers, musicians, painters, sculptors, woodcarvers, performance artists, writers, quilters and photographers will be involved in this year’s Lyceum.

The Lyceum schedule runs from January 17 to May 16, 2009. Financial support for the lyceum series is provided by the park’s nonprofit partner, the Rocky Mountain Nature Association. Programs are free and open to the public. They are held at 7:00 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center auditorium in Rocky Mountain National Park. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please call [phone].