Bear’s Mill...
“Art at the Mill” to feature “The Bird Show” Display  
May 18, 2012 

During the upcoming month, “Art At the Mill” will feature two Indiana artists who specialize in artfully reproducing birds. Bruce Neckar draws and paints the fascinating winged creatures, while Geoff Davis creates wood carvings of our feathered friends. “The Bird Show” will open at historic Bear’s Mill on Friday, May 25 with an artists’ reception offering light appetizers and wine from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.; the exhibit will remain on display through Sunday, June 24. 

“These down-to-earth artists create joyous work which not only reflects the beauty of the natural world but also reveals the underlying stories of the creatures depicted,” explained Julie Clark, retail manager and gallery coordinator for the Mill. “The Mill provides the perfect setting for this art, surrounded as it is by the wonder of nature,” Ms. Clark concluded. 

Bruce Neckar sometimes feels as though he’s practicing a dying art form. “Multimedia composition, abstract painting, and digital graphics have become more popular than putting pencil to paper,” says the longtime illustrator. The artist believes that the soul of a work of art derives from the quality of the drawing. He credits American icons Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer as major influences on his work, but states that nature itself is his greatest influence. 

Although Geoff Davis has done woodworking projects his entire life, he’s only been carving birds for the past four years. As a musician crafting his own instruments, he discovered that he could not afford the expensive materials and exotic woods required to build a ukelele. So he began to carve birds from found materials and scrap, and gained deep satisfaction in that alternative endeavor which was also warmly embraced by the general public. His birds while readily identifiable are far from realistic, representing the artists’ experiences, each piece having a unique story to tell. 

Currently on display at Bear’s Mill are the black and white photographs of another Hoosier artist, award-winning photographer John Bower; this exhibit, entitled “Capturing the Soul of Our Past,” will close on Sunday, May 20. “Art At the Mill” is on view during regular Mill store hours, 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. daily. Bear’s Mill is operated by Friends of Bear’s Mill, a non-profit organization, and is located at 6450 Arcanum-Bear’s Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville. For more information, contact Bear’s Mill at 937-548-5112 or www.bearsmill.com.