October 30, 2012

If Audubon Had Painted His Dreams...

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Have you ever tried to draw what you see in your dreams? Sometimes even the act of describing a dream in words makes it evaporate, as though imposing the order of grammar and syntax is too much for its fragile structure to bear.

Tiffany Bozic does not paint her dreams, per se, but she does describe the ideas for her paintings as drifting in and out of her mind. In real life, she accompanies her ornithologist husband in the field and helps measure, document, and prepare specimens while sketching and taking reference photographs for her own work. In the studio, she works from her field notes to produce the dream-like still lifes that are at once arresting and soothing.

This Thursday, November 1st marks the opening of her most recent show at the Joshua Liner Gallery in New York. (I have not heard how they fared during Sandy, but if all is well, the show should run through the month of November.) For those who can't make the show in person, Bozic has just released a beautifully illustrated monograph through Gingko Press called Tiffany Bozic: Drawn on Instinct.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

***SANDY UPDATE***

The Joshua Liner Gallery is up and running again after Hurricane Sandy. Tiffany Bozic's opening reception is now scheduled for Thursday, November 8 from 6-9pm. The exhibit will run through December 1st as planned.

Tiffany Bozic Website

Joshua Liner Gallery

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American