Bird Captures at BT&C Gallery in Buffalo

My current show is up at BT&C Gallery in Buffalo. Check out the closing performance if you are in Buffalo on the 29th. This is our blurb:

Bird Captures is a photography and sound installation comprised of two related projects by artist/photographer Julian Montague and violinist/composer David Adamczyk. 

Bird Photography (Attempts) 2004-2014 For a decade Julian Montague has been photographing birds without a telephoto lens or any other specialist equipment. Each of the 90 prints on display feature the species name and the number of attempts (shots) made in the effort to document the bird. In some of the photographs the artist is observing the birds from a great distance, in others, the bird is reacting to his presence. The series is an attempt to document the fleeting quality of wildlife encounters and an exploration of the persistent human desire to take possession of animals through documentation and species identification. 

David Adamczyk’s interest in musical transcription from recordings of virtuosic playing styles of various world traditions and a fascination with exploring the full sonic potential of his instrument led him to begin transcribing real-world sounds for performance on the violin. In these exercises the difference between original sound-source and the musical result of performing the transcriptions serve as the compositional substance. Flying Mobiles consists of a number of short modular works for violin that attempt to capture the complexities of birdcalls, calling upon unconventional modes of sound production and extreme virtuosity to emulate the increasingly uncommon songs of nature. Recordings of Flying Mobiles will play as part of the installation, Adamczyk will perform live in the gallery on 1/3, 1/13, and 1/29.

Daily Book Graphics #1307

©1970 / 1974

The Full State of America Print Series Now Available

In September I was commissioned to create a series of prints for Print Collection. We decided that the subject would be the official insignia of the American states which includes a surprisingly diverse collection of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, grasses, trees, fossils, minerals, insects and more. Back on November 5th we released the first installment of the State of America print series. I have now completed the other 29 states and they are available on PrintCollection.com. 

Daily Book Graphics #1204

©1961

Daily Book Graphics #1189

©1970

Daily Book Graphics #1035

©1973 / from the Netherlands

Daily Book Graphics #901

©1992 / Design: CBA, Cambridge, Illustration: Norman Arlott

Daily Book Graphics #733

No date or design credit. I previously featured five titles in this series, including "Enjoy Your Turtle" in DBG #367.

Daily Book Graphics #720

©1952 / Illustration: Bob Hines

Daily Book Graphics #312 / Bird Portraits

©1901 / limited edtion # 146 of 1000. This is the first book cover for this project where I did not actually scan the book myself. My Father emailed me this from my Grandfather's house in Florida. I need to go down there with my scanner and comb through his library.

Daily Book Graphics #241 / Birds of the West African Town & Garden

This is the third, and sadly last, book I own in the West African Nature Handbooks series. I previously posted from West African Snakes in DBG #11 and Small West African Mammals in DBG #76. Illustrations: Ernest C. Mansell / ©1960

Daily Book Graphics #222 / Birds of Australia

©1980 / There is something compelling about the name Graham Pizzey

Daily Book Graphics #158 / Birds

This is a classic Golden Guide. Birds was originally published in 1949, this one has 1956 as the latest copyright date, but judging from the cover design, I think this was actually published in the 60s or 70s. One of the hallmarks of Golden Guide illustration is that they usually depict animals with some element of the environment in which they are found.

Daily Book Graphics #143 / The Enemies of Birds

I bought this booklet at a Buffalo Museum of Science sale a couple of years ago. Published in 1916 by the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, it describes the various enemies of native birds, particularly invasive species and domestic animals. It may seem surprising that people were sensitive to these issues so long ago, but bird enthusiasts certainly were. I have a field guide to birds from 1906 (by Chester A. Reed) that references the work of E.H. Forbush (the author of the above book) and declares that:

If a dog kills a sheep or a deer, he is shot and the owner has to pay damages; if a man is caught killing a bird, he pays a fine; but cats are allowed to roam about without restriction, leaving death and destruction in their wake. All homeless cats should be summarily dealt with, and all pets should be housed, at least from May until August, when young birds are able to fly.

Daily Book Graphics #137 / Enjoying Birds

This is a 1968 guide to Upstate birds from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. It provides species information and directions to good bird watching spots.

Daily Book Graphics #120 / Oiseax De L'Amerique Du Nord

This is the sort of booklet for children where the child pastes cards/stamps into designated blank spaces. According to the back cover the cards came in packages of Red Rose Tea, Coffee and Instant Coffee and Blue Ribbon Tea, Coffee and Instant Coffee. Lucky for me the young boy who had this booklet (Robert, his name is written on the inside cover) collected all of the cards. The booklet was published by the Canadian Audubon Society in 1962. Everything is in French and English.