D&R Greenway, Garden State Watercolor Society host virtual art exhibit, scavenger hunt

Garden State Watercolor Society (GSWS) is partnering with D&R Greenway Land Trust to mount a wildlife-focused 50th anniversary juried exhibition online Aug. 4 through Sept. 30.

 

A virtual awards ceremony will include a special new award on the occasion of GSWS’ 50th anniversary, the D&R Greenway James Fiorentino Nature Art Award. Opportunities to experience the “Out of the Wild” exhibit include a virtual gallery, a virtual talk with featured artists, and a family-friendly scavenger hunt.

 

“Out of the Wild” celebrates the natural world with a sense of urgency to save it from loosened regulations and increasing environmental concerns. It recognizes the value found in the lands of D&R Greenway that have become a critical connection for people, for inspiration and restorative meditation.

 

Garden State Watercolor’s exhibit, “Out of the Wild,” portrays human relationships with the wild landscape, flora and fauna with creative imagination. Artists illustrate natural beauty, as well as the disconnect felt when civilization and nature are out of balance.

 

Whether the trauma of suburban or industrial encroachment or the restorative bliss of land reclaimed to wildflower meadows, this deeply contemplative exhibit will showcase what “Out of the Wild” signifies to “each of us.”

 

The exhibit was juried by Steve Zazenski, AWS, who is known for his colorful landscapes depicting coastal New England, Europe and the Caribbean. Art is available for sale online, with part of each purchase a donation to support D&R Greenway’s charitable mission of preserving and caring for land, and inspiring a conservation ethic.

 

Featured in the outdoor scavenger hunt is the second annual mini-art exhibit “Beautiful Creatures” that includes 90 5-by7-inch images of earth’s creatures created by 47 artists. Artists were challenged to paint using only secondary colors of orange, green and purple. This special exhibit follows the popular 2019 challenge that focused on primary colors of red, yellow and blue.

 

The community is invited to wear a mask to seek and find this year’s “Beautiful Creatures” as laminated art placed throughout the town of Princeton, N.J., and at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center campus that includes Greenway Meadows on Rosedale Road.

 

This unique and fun way to learn fascinating facts and enjoy depictions of wild creatures provides an educational activity for school-age children and a socially distanced outdoor excursion for art and wildlife lovers of all ages. Start and end dates for the scavenger hunt, along with special instructions and clues, can be found at gswcs.com and drgreenway.org.