Local art is alive and well

By Inga Hinnerichsen

In early January, a group of budding artists got together at the Birds Canada headquarters in Port Rowan.

My friend, Cindy Presant, a stone sculptor and painter, is the first artist-in-residence for Birds Canada. She will be developing a body of work for a solo show scheduled in January 2026.

Cindy’s art residency includes a community arts and nature component. She has developed the Nature Puzzles and Art Cafe (NatPac), which meets at Birds Canada headquarters through January to March. NatPac includes volunteer-led art sessions and bird jigsaw puzzles. Coffee and tea plus sweet treats are available during these sessions. The next dates are January 29, February 12 and 26, and March 12 and 26.

The goals of these sessions are:

o To foster deeper connections among diverse conservationists and artists in Norfolk County;

o To re-build the Artists By The Bay group after the pandemic;

o To provide an inclusive and welcoming social place for people to meet and share skills and opinions about birds and nature during the winter months.

People from the local community can register to attend for a nominal fee. If anyone is interested in more information about NatPac, contact Cindy at: artist.cindy.presant@gmail.com. Adults 18 years and over are welcome.

Cindy asked me if I’d be willing to lead the first art session. Of course! I was quite tickled over this honour but at the same time a bit scared… I had no idea who would be in attendance or how many, their art experience or their skill levels. There were people I had met before: members of the Artists By The Bay, a group of Norfolk artists who have been meeting in the Port Rowan area for several years. This group has varied interests, styles, and skills and are primarily amateurs. They are always happy to welcome new people to their sessions.

With the large group, I decided to err on the safe side and begin with baby steps. We started with warm-up exercises to relax and unwind. Being tense and tight will translate into the art work.

Our first project was to sketch a chickadee, since we were at Birds Canada. Drawing the outline of a bird can be challenging, so, in order to make it simple we broke down the subject into its components: a circle for its round body, added to it a smaller circle for its head with a small beak and a small black eye. To complete the bird we added an indication of its tail and wing with pointed primary feathers and lastly, feet with small claws (for grasping a twig perch). Once these elements were in place we connected the components with smooth lines and added details, shading and embellishments. The group produced an entire flock of little chickadees! We decided to use the same method for other birds: there were cardinals, woodpeckers and sandhill cranes.

Those who didn’t want to sketch were working on jigsaw puzzles with bird motifs. These large and complicated puzzles will be worked on again in our next session.

Lively conversations sprang up and everyone seemed to enjoyed a good social time.

The next session will feature a local duck decoy carver giving a short demonstration of his craft. We will then do a small painting of a duck floating on the bay.

Phew, I’m quite pleased with how this session turned out. I’ll also be leading the duck session on January 29. It should be smooth sailing now I know what to expect. Happy painting!

o o o

The Norfolk Field Naturalists are continuing indoor presentations at the Simcoe Recreation Centre, Norfolk Room, every second Tuesday of the month. More upcoming field events will be posted on the Nature of Norfolk Facebook page closer to the dates. We welcome guests and new members. Membership is very reasonable: $20 for a single and $30 for a family membership for a year. Updates are posted on our web site: www.norfolkfieldnaturalists.org. Stay tuned!

Originally printed in The Good News, February 2025.