“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Thomas Merton
Over the years, many local and international artists have helped Alabama Audubon to tell stories about birds and what they mean to our membership. It’s our pleasure to feature some of those artists and their work here on this page.
Anya Allen is a South Carolina based artist working mostly in ink and watercolor. Her subject base leans towards animals and attempts to express their experience with humanity. Her current ventures include animal illustrations and an illustrated short story. Find her art on Instagram at @smeegses.
Douglas Pierre Baulos received his MFA from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He regularly teaches workshops and lectures on his research in book arts, drawing, and visual ecology. Doug currently is the Assistant Professor of Drawing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the curriculum director at Studio by the Tracks, an art center that provide free art classes to emotionally conflicted children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other mental illnesses. His drawings, installations, and books have been exhibited/published both nationally and internationally. Doug is a self-proclaimed bird nerd and currently serves on the Alabama Audubon Board of Directors and faculty. Find his art at dougbaulos.com or on Instagram at @doug_baulos.
With fifteen years’ experience as a freelance artist, Cameron Canevaro produces researched design and art that goes beyond traditional means of work. His inspiration is drawn from everyday life and a passion for the outdoors. He uses a vast array of mediums to accomplish his work, including charcoal, pen and ink, as well as oil, watercolor, and acrylic paints. His illustrations, combined with digital experience, allow him to form a cohesive end result that is appealing and mesmerizing. Cameron graduated with honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2020 with a focus in studio art. He continues his pursuit expanding his work and skill set. His professional work includes commissioned paintings and illustrations, tools for learning, landscape design, and consulting. Check out his art at Cameroncanevaro.com and on Instagram at @cameron_canevaro.
Alabama Native, Nick Cantrell, began seriously studying art after surviving a life threatening blood clot in his right arm at the age of 20. “It was as if I was being told to use it, or lose it,” Cantrell said. He went on to earn a BA from Auburn University in 2001 and began his career in the art world. Over the years, Cantrell has produced illustrations, corporate logos, album artwork, and completed a variety of special projects. Currently, his fine art creations, Batik Watercolors, are his primary focus. Nick endeavors to ignite new excitement in the viewer through his unique style of recording nature’s beauty by hand. His style is both detailed and loose. Each piece is precision-drawn with specific detail, and subsequently layered with contrasting washes of batik-styled color resulting in a technically specific, yet luminous and expressive painting. He is married to ceramics artist, Maya Blume-Cantrell. They reside in Orange Beach, with their two children, Finch and Ayla. Find Nick’s art at nickcantrell.com.
Birmingham native Chris Davis studied at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, with a Bachelor’s degree in graphic design. While in Georgia, he designed an official T-shirt for The Savannah Jazz Festival. Christopher was a full-time illustrator and designer for Southern Living Magazine for ten years. His lively art ranges from his colorful dog paintings, black and white illustrations, custom pet portraits (Drawdog Pet Portraits), abstract art, and his series of paintings of Vulcan. Christopher exhibits in many city art festivals and was named Magic City Art Connection’s 2013 Emerging Artist of the year, received the Magic City Art Connection 2016 Award of Distinction for his abstract paintings, and was the featured artist for Artwalk Art festival 2019. You can also see more of his portfolio here.
Born in Texas, raised in Birmingham, Cicely Hill has lived in the Magic City for the last eighteen years. She is currently a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, working on her BFA degree and looking forward to going to grad school. She already holds a BS in Animal Science from the University of Georgia in Athens. That first degree is what sparked her interest in birds and wildlife in general. As an artist who uses birds in her work often, she takes on the role of the witness and observes the processes of nature. She seeks to reflect both their power and fragility. In this way she helps people reflect on their own responsibilities for the ecological health of our planet. Through the making of the images, she hopes to spark dialogue between people about birds and their habitats. To email her, click here.
Timothy Joe is a self-taught artist and instructor whose art reflects his deep roots in the Alabama Black Belt region. His art is fueled by the sense of need to preserve rural landscape and scenery, including bird life. An Alabama-born en plein air painter, Timothy Joe held a live art demonstration at our inaugural Hale County Black Belt Birding Tour in 2019 at the Joe Farm, and we’re excited he’s now sharing his love of art and birds as part of our faculty. Find his art at timothymjoe.com and on Instagram at @timothymjoe21.
Aliisa Lee grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, as one of six kids. Her artwork is still inspired by that feeling of playing and sharing in nature with others, as well finding wonder in the little things. Aliisa studied English and Visual Arts at Princeton and has since worked in communications, design, and freelance illustration. After university, her love for birds really took off while she was living next to a birding hotspot in Santa Barbara, California. She currently lives in Cambridge, UK, with her husband Josh, where they are getting to know new British feathered friends. Find her art at aliisalee.com and on Instagram at @aliisadraws.
Tara McMeans has been working as a graphic designer for over twenty years. She started her business, Design Print Promote, in 2006 and launched a new lifestyle brand, Saltwater heALs, in 2020. She holds a degree in commercial art from Faulkner State and Travel Marketing Professional and Festival and Events certifications from the Southeast Tourism Society. She has designed two public art installations that are on display in Gulf Shores. The “Community Turtle” is part of the Turtle Tracks program, and “Recycle Me” is part of the Oyster Trail program. Tara is a business leader that is selflessly committed to community engagement, education, and sustainability in addition to her creative talents through her business.
Sophie McVicar is a freelance illustrator and artist located in Birmingham, Alabama. She has dual degrees in studio art (BFA) as well as chemistry (BS). Her works take inspiration from her background in chemistry, religious iconography, and the rich history of naturalist paintings and scientific illustration. Find her art at sophiemcvicar.co and on Instagram at @happyspinach.