Jeff Long speaks with Jack Hanson on Comcast's "Newsmakers"

Jeff Long (www.jefflong.com) speaks with Jack Hanson on Comcast's "Newsmakers" TV program about Jeff's new series of watercolors: "Birds of California", the sale of which benefits the nonprofit Earth Island Institute. A source for the paintings is the legacy of noted naturalist painter John James Audubon whose depictions of birds and nature have become iconic and almost sacred. Interestingly, however, Audubon never traveled further West than the Mississippi Valley. He relied for his depictions of Western species on specimens procured for him and shipped stiff and lifeless. "Wanting to give Western birds their due, I conceived of fleshing out the visual record," says Long. "Plus, I also wanted to introduce elements of contemporary ecological awareness, the history of humankind's impact on nature, and possibly a bit of allegory." Long started the project with depictions of local vignettes, particularly on the three-acre piece of ground in Lake County, California, where Long has a weekend studio. Soon, he began adding in visual references to episodes he had witnessed in travels to such places as the Great Plains of North America and the wild areas of Africa. With nature as the theme, Long reached out to the respected Earth Island Institute, headquartered in Berkeley. Long's "Birds of Calfiornia" are on sale and on view at San Francisco's Toomey Tourel Gallery (49 Geary Street). (interview date: August 17, 2011)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• earth island
• birds california
• watercolor
• artist
• audubon
• toomey tourel
• art gallery