Join artist Rachel Mirus and let your imagination take flight with bird-inspired creative drawing.
Observing nature has inspired many artistic flights of imagination. In this class, we will look closely at feathers, one of the hallmark traits of birds, and spend time observing birds.
Along the way we will cover field sketching and easy ways to add color to drawings, working primarily in graphite, color pencil, and brush pen.
From this observational foundation we will consider how scientific or fantasy illustrators reinvent vanished animals like feathered dinosaurs or create images of mythical animals like the phoenix.
Class will culminate in project time for students to experiment with their own creative ideas. Come learn ways your appreciation of nature can fuel your imagination!
All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.
Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.
Sliding scale fee • Register here or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.
Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 13 and up
Join artist Rachel Mirus in practicing observational drawing techniques that can quiet the mind and encourage being wholly present in nature.
In this short workshop, we’ll practice drawing techniques inside with a variety of materials for every ability level. Weather permitting, we’ll move outside for a nature walk and en plein air drawing. (If not, the museum’s bird-in-habitat exhibits are available.)
All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.
Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.
Sliding scale fee
Or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.
Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 13 and up
Join artist Rachel Mirus in practicing observational drawing techniques that can quiet the mind and encourage being wholly present in nature.
In this short workshop, we’ll practice drawing techniques inside with a variety of materials for every ability level. Weather permitting, we’ll move outside for a nature walk and en plein air drawing. (If not, the museum’s bird-in-habitat exhibits are available.)
All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.
Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 6 and up
Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.
Fine Feathers:
at play with structure and function
What happens when you mix art, playfulness, and insights from birds? Creativity influenced by feather color and pattern, frills and function! From bower birds to city pigeons, feathers come in thousands of sizes and colors, fantastic shapes, in different seasons, and for many reasons. Which of these emerge in your art? We want to know! Continue reading “Call to Artists: Fine Feathers”
A Call to Artists from the Birds of Vermont Museum
The year 2020 asked a lot of us—and taught us even more. As our habitual systems hit rock bottom under the weight of the pandemic, economic hardship, and social injustice, voices rose, and long-time institutions were loudly questioned. New ways of experiencing and perceiving our world opened our minds to new comprehension. How could our art, our creativity, our practices remain unaffected? Our perspectives inevitably changed.
We are a museum about and for birds and conservation. We are part of a community of birders, artists, conservationists, and learners. Your experience and perspective may be unseen or unknown to someone else, even in the same community. For 2021, we’d like to hear and share your artistic voice.
What perspectives exist for birds, birding, and conservation, and the possibilities these offer? We seek works that explore many viewpoints for our 2021 art exhibit, Expanding Voices: perspectives on birding.Continue reading “Call to Artists: Expanding Voices”
