Art & Photography Exhibits
in the Blair Center foyer at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
2010
Paul Arsenault ~ Paintings
December, 2009-January, 2010
A native of Montreal, Paul Arsenault grew up in Hingham, Mass., where his love for the sea and travel emerged. Following his graduation from the Art Institute of Boston in 1973, he began a 6 month stint as a deckhand on a research vessel. He signed off in Florida in 1974, and began his professional painting career. With Naples as his base, he has embarked on painting trips to the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, the South Pacific, Indonesia, Australia, Hawaii, and Europe.
Paul's early exposure to and knowledge of working ports and exotic harbors, combined with his talent for zeroing in immediately on the essence of a place, have made him a popular choice for commissions requiring extensive yet efficient travel. Paintings from these trips hang in public places and private and corporate collections around the world.
Along with travel, annual fundraising shows in Naples and Nantucket have been a hallmark of his career, and since l983, these have benefited a variety of non-profit organizations devoted to health, environmental protection, and historic preservation.
Paul's vibrant and widely collected paintings reflect a rhythm and pattern that distinguish his easily recognizable style. His lifelong pursuit to paint contemporary life in coastal communities is enhanced by his passion for history and his natural storytelling
Richard Tiberius ~ Paintings
February, 2010
Born on Long Island, NY, and raised in New York City and Massachusetts, Richard Tiberius began to paint nature with oils by the time he was ten years old. His passion for painting wild, pristine environments defines his work. Each piece is a startling portrait of the natural world rendered in knife work that invites the viewer to reach out and touch the canvas.
His first exhibitions in Los Angeles (Katona Gallery, 1971) and Aurora, Ontario (1975) were so popular that many paintings sold before they had time to dry. Recently, Tiberius has shown at the Teodora Gallery in Toronto (2002-2004) and the Karen Lynne Gallery (2004-2009) in Boca Raton (FL) and Beverly Hills (CA) and at the Gevik Gallery in Toronto (2008-9).
In his parallel career as an educational psychologist, Tiberius has redefined approaches to teaching that have been employed worldwide, as outlined is his successful book, Small-group Teaching: A Trouble-Shooting Guide. Lately he has set aside the books to pick up the knife full time. He continues to travel and seek out images of nature that celebrate the complexity and wonder of unspoiled nature. He currently resides in Miami, Florida, where he enjoys learning about and painting tropical flora
R. J. Wiley ~ Photography ~ www.adayintheswamp.com
March, 2010
R J Wiley is an award winning wildlife and portrait photographer. A resident of Florida for nearly 38 years. His work has been seen in several publications including Naples on the Gulf, Gulfshore Life Magazine, Florida Naturalist, Audubon Magazine and the Florida Audubon web site, as well as an article published in Shutterbug Magazine. His web site contains probably the largest selection of stock images in SW Florida.
His latest project was the photographing of the rare Ghost Orchid discovered at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The story of the capture of this rare orchid has been published in Shutterbug Magazine and photos of the orchid have been published in the United States, England and all the way to Russia. R J is the Resident Artist at Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park and teaches a PhotoShop class at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Samples of his work may be viewed online at www.rjwileyphoto.com and www.adayintheswamp.com as well as at the Sanctuary.
Erv Krause ~ Photography
April, 2010
Do some people have an innate affinity for the natural world? Erv Krause is such a person. His fascination with nature and its secrets was there from the beginning and was cultivated in a most unlikely setting: his boyhood neighborhood in the Borough of Queens, New York City. Back in the 1950s, a few pockets of woodland and marshland still remained, and Erv would spend hours exploring these natural oases, reveling in the joy of discovering a new bird species or a nest of rabbits.
After graduation from Queens College (SUNY), he earned his Masters at the University of Illinois and embarked upon a teaching career that would span thrty two years. In his twenties, Erv began taking a camera along on his forays into the natural world, and another new world opened ... he had found his calling! Over the years, there were regular trips to the woodlands of upstate New York, annual treks into the Montana wilderness, often accompanied by his children, and an ever expanding portfolio of wildlife images.
Upon retirement in 1999, his photography entered a new stage with the establishment of Hawksbill Natural Images. Now a resident of Fort Myers Beach, Erv concentrates on the spectacular wildlife of Southwest Florida and is a frequent visitor to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. That joy of discovery that began in his Queens childhood is now being regularly relived in the unique wild habitats of the Sunshine State.