Earth Day - 2021

Want an easy way you can help the environment? 

Gather all your unused prescription drugs and drop them off at a participating location for DRUG TAKE BACK DAY, April 24th. Find the nearest location to you HERE. 

Drugs will be disposed of properly instead of throwing them in the garbage, toilet or down the drain where they come in contact with animals. This is an annual event around Earth Day. If you miss Take Back Day, there is also a separate list on the site for year round locations. 

For more Earth Day content, visit my website blog.

EYE ON NATURE, Artists Explore the World of Plants and Animals

My drawing of the female kestrel is on view, as is this wonderful Diamondback Terrapin turtle shell, a  new work, in the Eye on Nature show. The markings remind me of Arabic calligraphy.

Female Kestrel (Falco sparverius), graphite and Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), watercolor ©DonnaMiskend

Kestrels are in the Falcon family and are one of the smallest birds of prey. They can be found in cities, and their diet includes insects and small rodents. Eliminating the use of pesticides makes sense as they become part of these bird's food source. It's also far more cost effective to use nature's food chain.
The Diamondback Terrapin is found in the eastern U.S. coastal habitats in waters that contain some salt such as salt marshes, tidal creeks, estuaries, bays and coves. They come ashore to lay their eggs. Not surprisingly, they are threatened by development, cars as they cross roads to find nesting sites, and pollutants. Rising sea waters are also a factor making the brackish mix of salt + freshwater habitats over saturated with salt. Their diet includes crabs, and are often caught in  crab box nets where they drown.

Also included - more mushrooms! Some creature started to make a meal of this one.

Yellow Bolete (Boletus, sp.), watercolor ©DonnaMiskend

The exhibit, EYE ON NATURE, Artists Explore the World of Plants and Animals closes on October 27th.
venue: Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY
hours: Tues. - Fri. 9 - 5   Sat. 8 - 4     tel: 718.365.5516
accessible by subway: D and 4 to Kingsbridge station or Metro North Fordham station

Hop over to my Conversations blog to read interviews with the participants and check back in October as I add more related to the exhibit.

EYE ON NATURE

On view September 1 - October 27, 2018 

Julia Ruth, Jennifer Deutscher, Maria Giuliani, Donna Miskend

I've curated a new exhibit, EYE ON NATURE, ARTISTS EXPLORE THE WORLD OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. Along with my own work, on display will be illustrations by Jennifer Deutscher, Maria Giuliani and Julia Ruth. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 8th at 12:45pm, an artist panel discussion followed by a talk about flora and fauna of the Bronx River by Stephen Paul DeVillo, author of The Bronx River in History and Folklore who also conducts ramblings throughout the year along it's banks. (Read our interview ) 

And read my interview with one of the artists in the exhibit Jenn along with other botanical art students that appeared in the Botanical Artist Journal in 2016 (click here to read). For the latest about her work, hop over to my Conversations blog for a short Q & A update. 

I'll be including new print etchings, along with graphite and watercolors.

venue: Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY
hours: Tues. - Fri. 9 - 5   Sat. 8 - 4     tel: 718.365.5516
accessible by subway: D and 4 to Kingsbridge station or Metro North Fordham station

New Work - Natural Science

Burrowing Owl, natural science, collage, Donna Miskend 2016
(Cynomys Ludovicianus, Bouteloua Gracias, Camnula Pellucida
Athene Cunicularia, Melanoplus Bivittatus)

I'm building my portfolio of animals starting with birds. This is the habitat of the burrowing owl on the Canadian prairies.



And a female Kestral. More to come!

Kestral, natural science, graphite, Donna Miskend 2016
(Falco Sparverius)

2015 BEAUX ARTS EXHIBIT

Three works of some favorite things, plants and animals, will be on display at the Beaux Arts Exhibit:

The Dobbs Ferry Woman's Clubhouse

54 Clinton Avenue

Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

October 17 - 18, 2015

reception Sunday, Oct. 18 from 2-4pm

Stay tuned: A recap of the Fairy Tales show is coming soon. 

69th Annual BEAUX ARTS EXHIBIT/Master Storytellers Exhibit

For MASTER STORYTELLERS EXHIBIT SCHEDULE CLICK HERE  EXTENDED through June 27 due to popular demand at Poe Park Visitor Center, Bronx, NY.

Classic stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, the Brothers Grimm and more master storytellers' books illustrated by children's book artists.

Visit http://conversationswithdonnamiskend.blogspot.com/ for a glimpse at some of the artwork on view and a conversation with participating artists.

Donna Miskend 2015
How the Leopard Got Its Spots
cut paper collage

I'm highlighting nature this season. I chose animals for my entries in the Master Storytellers exhibit on view at Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx through May 30th.
CLICK here to read comments by participating artists.
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Donna Miskend 2013
Mexican Sunflowers, gouache

69th Annual Beaux Arts Exhibit
It almost feels like spring, so I decided to enter flowers for the  on view until April 29 at the Bronxville Women's Club, in Bronxville.

Donna Miskend 2013
Over In The Meadow, gouache/watercolor

NEW WORK - Nature Illustrations

I'm adding to my repertoire of nature illustrations.

This and That, Donna Miskend 2014

These are things I've picked up that I thought I wanted to paint. Sometimes it's the color, or the design element, so to make sense of them individually I decided to put them all together. Acorn, ginko leaf, pine cone, the fruit from a cherry tree, maple seed pods, a dried cherry and I think the other seed pods are either also maple or oak.



This bunny was at the botanical gardens.

Red Cabbage and Rabbit, Donna Miskend 2014

New work

The Three Kings ©Miskend2012

Here's another work on the Bible theme. Scroll down to see Noah's Ark submitted for the Children's Book Illustration Art Showcase on view until March 30th.

The Lion And The Mouse

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

© Donna Miskend

Gouache, digital

Aesop's Fables is a great theme for playing with design. Here's a more painterly interpretation of The Lion And The Mouse at the moment when the mouse helps the lion escape in return for sparing its life.