Newly discovered Burgess shale creature
Again, the CBC has an article on the Burgess Shale fossils. A stalked tulip-like creature has been newly described by University of Toronto and ROM researchers. It is evocatively illustrated by SONSI member Marianne Collins.
Charles Weiss in Toronto exhibit
Charles Weiss, SONSI’s newest member, is the featured artist in an exhibit at Wesburn Manor Art Gallery, 400 The West Mall at Burnamthorp Road. Charles has 12 paintings and wood carvings in the exhibit, which runs from January 18th until April 13.
The reception is Wednesday, January 18, 6 to 8 pm. Usual gallery hours are 10 am to 7 pm, everyday.
Karen Reczuch exhibits landscape at VAM
SONSI member Karen Reczuch, fresh from the success of her acclaimed children’s book, Loon, is also flourishing in a different genre. A landscape in pastels by Karen has been accepted into the 34th Annual Visual Arts Mississauga Juried Exhibition. This is a well-regarded show and the competition is stiff – congratulations to Karen! The show runs until February 25 at the Art Gallery of Mississauga.
Solo exhibit features orchids
Photo: Kathryn Chorney
An exhibit of botanical drawings by SONSI member Trish Murphy is showing at Richview LIbrary in Toronto. Some friends, including SONSI members Kathryn Chorney and Hall Train, gathered on Saturday to launch the show. Twenty-five drawings of cultivated orchids will be on display until January 30.
Foraminifera Sculpture Park in Zhongshan, China
The Smithsonian on-line magazine has a tantalizing but frustrating blurb about a park in Zhongshan, China, that features sculpture inspired by the forms of fossil and extant foraminifera. I wish the blurb was accompanied by more than just the one picture of what is a wonderful idea. Even more, I wish urban parks in southern Ontario could do something just as nifty with a science-based theme.
- Trish
Tropical Orchids of Toronto Exhibit
SONSI member Trish Murphy invites you to a reception for her art exhibit Tropical Orchids of Toronto, Richview Library Art Gallery. The reception is on Saturday, January 7th, 2012, 3:00 pm.
The exhibit runs from January 3 -30, 2012. Richview Library is located at 1806 Islington Avenue at Summitcrest Drive, Toronto. That’s just north of Eglinton Avenue. Free parking. The exhibit is open all hours the library is open: M – F 9 am – 8:30 pm, Sat 9 – 5, Sun 1:30 – 5. An illustrated catalogue of the exhibit will be posted online during January.
Potluck and Portfolio Sharing, December 10, 2011
Christmas Birds by Barry MacKay.
The tide of sweets and baking is ever increasing at the office, at lunchtime we all gather around the table and sample the day’s offerings while chatting about work and about personal things, the conversation tends to lead itself in any direction it pleases. Getting to know my colleagues in this way, not by directly working with them, has numerous benefits, an experience which is certainly diminished in the world of the freelance illustrator and many of the wonderfully diverse and intriguing careers that are associated with SONSI. Read more…
Field trip to the Royal Ontario Museum
Kathryn sketching bear. Photo: Emily Damstra.
This past Sunday (November 20), amidst the festivities of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, SONSI members made their second trip to the Royal Ontario Museum. This time, Marianne Collins, who has worked for the museum and has many of her models exhibited in the biodiversity gallery, was gracious enough to act as our guide. Read more…
Artistic by Nature Exhibit: write up in local paper
The Brampton Guardian published a brief article on the SONSO members’ Artistic by Nature exhibit which recently ended.
Themes of science and the natural world demonstrate how four women are artistic by nature…
To see full article, please link to the Brampton Guardian.
- Trish
Burgess shale creature illustration
The CBC website has recently posted a fascinating article on Tegopelte, an ancient creature known from the Burgess shale soft-bodied fossils. A curator at the ROM has linked a recently discovered fossil trackway to the creature.
SONSI member Marianne Collins provided the illustration of Tegopelte with which the article begins. At the bottom of the article, an awesome little animation of Tegopelte’s moving legs isn’t accredited to an individual, just to U of Saskatchewan/ROM.
Burgess shale fossils are Cambrian, which is to say, mind-bogglingly ancient. The fortuitous combination of events which has allowed scientists to discover, and artists to illustrate, the way a 500-million year old creature moved, is so improbable. This discovery is unique and wonderful.
- Trish
