Swooping in for Wild Care

Artists from across the Cape and beyond are joining the Addison Art Gallery in support of Wild Care. Spearheaded by artists SaraJane Doberstein and Amy Sanders, and Helen Addison, Swooping in for Wild Care includes an exhibit of new works by gallery and invited artists, a reception on Saturday, June 9 from 5 to 7, live music, book signings and a raffle.

Educational animals planning to attend include two Eastern Screech Owls, Up Up and Nickerson, and Turtle #45, an Eastern Box Turtle. More information about these four-legged and feathery friends can be found here: https://www.wildcarecapecod.org/programs-events/animal-ambassador/

The raffle prize, valued at over $1,000, includes an original oil painting by SaraJane Doberstein, a museum quality, framed print of an Amy Sanders pastel, and a $250 gift certificate to the Addison Art Gallery. Additionally, a portion of all sales made during the reception will be donated to Wild Care and Wild Care merchandise will be available for purchase.

That afternoon, you are also invited to watch Amy and SaraJane demonstrate their unique painting techniques from 3:00 to 4:30. Amy will demonstrate building depth and luminosity with pastel as she works towards bringing a painting to life through the building up of multiple layers. Pastel is a unique medium, in that the pigment particles retain their individuality within layers. If carefully layered using strokes in a variety of colors, weights and direction, light bounces among the particles creating a unique radiance that is the hallmark of the medium. Watching SaraJane, you will see the media and techniques she uses to achieve the unique perspective in her coastal work. She will begin with a raw umber tonal value underpainting. She will paint from there using the layering techniques scumbling and glazing, with some areas painted alla prima, wet in wet. Each artist will share knowledge based on decades of experience. Audience questions and comments will be encouraged and add to the afternoon.

Susanna Graham-Pye will be on hand to sign There is a Season, her book inspired by Karen Von den Deale who gained a reputation for rescuing and caring for wild animals in her backyard. Soon her home was filled year-round with injured wildlife, and her successes saving lives soon gave birth to a full-fledged clinic: Wild Care, founded in 1989. Proceeds from the sale of the book will split between the author and Wild Care.

Ralphie’s Cool Vacation by Jeffery Carter is a delightful tale of a brave bird that is looking for a change. Though he knows nothing of migration, Ralphie wants to visit Cape Cod. This delightful book follows Ralphie through his light-hearted adventure as he encounters a variety of helpful creatures along the way including a hurricane named Jose. The watercolor illustrations in the book were created by Jeff’s wife, Deborah who teaches art at Veritas Academy in Centerville. Jeffery, a special education teacher and coach for over years, began writing for children and young adults as a personal challenge to create a piece of writing that would motivate reluctant readers such as his daughter to want to open a book and explore a new world. He serves as a board member for the Cape Cod Writers’ Center. Jeff and Deborah will be on hand to sign copies of the book.

Author Peter Trull has been involved in field research and education on Cape Cod for 40 years. He conducted field research in Guyana and Surinam, studying the market trapping of Common and Roseate Terns, working with local bird trappers in several coastal villages where he hesitatingly admits he’s eaten Common Terns and 15 to 20 species of sandpipers and plovers. He served as Education Director at The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and presently teaches at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. He has written six books on the Cape’s natural history, describing the lives of coywolves, cetaceans and his lifelong passion, birds. His newest book The Life of Terns – Birds of Paradox, will be released in 2019.
On Mr. Trull’s most recently published book, The Gray Curtain: “Peter Trull is a world class naturalist and the go-to expert for all things wild on Cape Cod. In this fascinating book, he explores the complexity of cause and effect in a natural ecosystem as three of the ocean’s top predators converge on Cape Cod.”

— Gregory Skomal, Ph.D. Senior Marine Fisheries Scientist, MA Marine Fisheries.