Bird art paintings of Merry Cibula Wildlife Artist

Living in Cameroon, West Africa for six years (where she photographed and recorded the art and culture of the people of the grasslands), Merry Cibula's interest in wildlife began with a small collection of animals rescued from local markets and traders. Returning to the States and completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, she purchased a farm in southeastern Ohio and worked as a large animal veterinarian technician for several years before directing her interests in animals and photography into her art. With the horse as her subject, she published several limited edition prints, was an illustrator for the American Quarter Horse Museum, and her work appeared on the covers and in articles of many equine publications. A member of the Society of Animal Artists since 1990, Merry's art has recently found new direction in wildlife. Her subjects are often endangered species--particularly birds, large cats, and primates. Working in graphite or color pencil, she approaches her finely detailed work with a photographer's eye. Drawn to the moment--the light, the energy of the animal--she prefers close-ups focused on gesture and expression. Off-beat or unusual angles create excitement--a sense of seeing something for the first time--which she hopes will encourage an appreciation for both the beauty and value of wildlife. (Her published print of a cheetah has helped raise funds for cheetah conservation, and her current concern is the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon--a primate refuge for orphans of the "bushmeat" trade.)Merry's first bird drawing, "Brown Pelican Study #1", was accepted into the Birds in Art exhibition in 1993 and later was exhibited with the Society of Animal Artists. "Sun Salutation", a study of a turkey vulture sunning its wings, was completed in 1996. With birds such a part of farm life in Ohio--wild turkeys freely roam the pastures and her African gray parrot excels in mimicking wild bird calls--Merry's interest in birds in art continually finds new expression.


"Preening Goose" Color Pencil Size: 8 3/8" x 5 7/8" Price: $ 400 unframed	"Barn Owl" Color Pencil Size: 5 7/8" x 7 1/2" Price: $ 100 unframed


"Swan" Graphite Pencil Size: 9" x 7 1/8" Price: $ 250 unframed	"Pelicans" Color Pencil Size: 7 3/4" x 5 1/2" Price: $ 250 unframed