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James Coe's
Endangered Farmscapes
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ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The historic architecture of our local farms has literally settled into the soils of New England; today, the barns that our ancestors raised are an integral part of our surroundings. And yet, they are disappearing. Whether collapsing under the weight of neglect or under heavy loads of snow, or whether cleared to make way for modern metal structures or for housing subdivisions, the farmscapes that give our rural communities much of their character are endangered. It is with these observations in mind that artist James Coe has assembled an exhibition of oil paintings featuring regional barns and farms.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
James Coe is known worldwide as a wildlife and bird artist, and as the illustrator of numerous bird guides, including his own Golden Guide Eastern Birds. In 2011 he was honored as a Master Wildlife Artist by the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, host of the prestigious annual Birds in Art exhibition.
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For the past 20 years, however, Jim has been focusing primarily on landscapes, and working in oil paints. “The subject matter reflects my passions in life: birds, nature, old barns and our endangered rural landscape—but the thread that ties all of my artwork together is more conceptual. My goal is to find in each motif a balance of abstract design and evocative light, and to create a luscious surface of paint and canvas.”
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Educated at Harvard as a biologist, Jim later earned a Masters of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design. He has been elected a signature member of the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, and the Society of Animal Artists. His artwork is included in the permanent collections of the State Museum of New York, Woodson Art Museum, Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Bell Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon.
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Jim and his family have lived for 35 years in the hills of Greene County, in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York, where Jim serves on the Board of the Greene Land Trust – dedicated to preserving natural habitat and open farmland. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the MACC.