Habitats

Phyllis Del Vecchio's paintings like good music, tend to draw one into them with no sense of shock; some are quiet and still, almost to the point of being nebulous; some though wild and windblown, have no surface gestures which demand attention; others have a softness of rare perception and quality; many look like rich tapestries, or oil paintings; virtually all of the images in this collection are inhabited by birds.

This is not an exhibition of bird paintings, more a reflection of her fascination with these winged creatures - they are an important part of her life, like close friends.

This collection is a celebration of plumage, of foliage and of natural camouflage, of habitats for migrant and resident birds. They show these artists of the sky as they create beautiful, invisible swirling swooping patterns in the air. We see them roosting and resting, breeding and feeding, by night and by day, in the storm and in the calm. Many of the paintings are as soft and delicate as feathers and down.

The weather and the type of the light affect the appearance and colours of the birds as well as the landscape, as is shown in these paintings. Phyllis's birds are framed in natural surroundings, they merge into the landscape, they have great dignity, and they are intriguing.

Her keenly observed images have poetic titles - forgotten land, left behind, returning, soaring. They invite the observer to explore, to wonder, and to ponder.

Her subjects are as varied as the territories and nesting sites of her birds, but they all have the personal stamp and style of a master painter and visionary at the top of her form.