Local artist Robin Zefers Clark spent 30 days in the RTPI preserve this fall creating a painting a day inspired by the beauty she discovered there. During her artist residency, Clark also taught a series of beginner watercolor workshops at RTPI. Participants used original botanical art from the Peterson collection, along with live and preserved plant specimens as inspiration for their creations.

“Robin embodies the spirit of Roger Tory Peterson,” says Arthur Pearson, RTPI’s new CEO. “Inspired by nature, she uses her skills as an artist and a teacher to help us see our own landscape with fresh eyes.”

“Not only is Robin a masterful artist, but she’s also a skilled teacher able to convey her subtle secrets for creating exquisite paintings,” added Melanie Smith, RTPI’s Manager of Education and Communications.

RTPI will host an artist’s reception on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate both new exhibitions. The public is invited to attend to meet the artists. Regular museum admission applies.

The 30 paintings Clark created during her residency will be on view in RTPI’s library gallery from Friday Oct. 30 through Sunday, Jan. 3. For more information about Robin’s 30-day immersion in the RTPI preserve, visit RTPI’s website at www.rtpi.org.

The pieces created by participants in the watercolor workshops will be on view in RTPI’s Art Lab gallery from Saturday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Jan. 3. This initiative was made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Tri-County Arts Council.

Robin Zefers Clark holds a BS in Art Education from Buffalo State College, and an MS from Rochester Institute of Technology, with a major in oil painting and intensive work in graphic design and photographic studies. Robin has had several solo and group exhibitions and has been featured in articles in Country Woman Magazine, The Buffalo News, and Focus. Her work has won numerous awards and is featured in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Robin lives in the pristine Allegany mountains of western New York state, where she owns and operates Brookside Studio. More information about Robin Clark and her work can be found on her website at brooksidestudio.com.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of Peterson’s artwork and related archival materials. Peterson, the only artist-naturalist to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is best known for his field guides. The first – A Field Guide to the Birds – published in 1934, sparked a worldwide movement to connect people with nature as never before. Peterson authored and illustrated dozens of guides – for birds, plants, insects and other natural flora and fauna – selling millions of copies and becoming an international ambassador for protecting our natural resources.

Today, the Peterson Collection anchors a robust exhibition schedule that also features the artwork of some of the world’s most revered nature artists. The collection is available to artists, researchers and scholars, and is used to anchor an array of education and research programs – all geared toward fostering an enduring love, appreciation and protection of our natural world.