About the Artist
P. A. Farris
I am inspired by natural moments and informed by my academic background in ornithology and natural history. I strive to capture an accurate portrait of nature so I am often in the field photographing my subjects, especially birds, to capture their stance and attitude. I’m quite happy to have viewers “zoom in” to my paintings in a way that they may wish they could in an outdoor encounter with a bird and observe every detail.
I’ve recently retired from teaching biology at Pierce College and am now working on bringing my painting skills to the level of my favorite bird artists, especially Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Robert Bateman, Lars Jonsson and Raymond Harris-Ching.
I hope you’ll have a look at the results of my new artistic life - it sure beats grading exams and committee meetings. Thanks for looking and please contact me if there’s any work here you’re interested in.
Memberships:
California Art Club, Artist
Westlake Village Art Guild
Former member of Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Southern California Chapter (group disbanded)
Current Exhibition:
May 11 - July 28, 2024 California Art Club "Malibu On Location"
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University
Past Exhibitions:
March 21 - June 19, 2023 California Art Club "Spring Awakening"
Virtual exhibit on the CAC Virtual Gallery
Jan 6 - Jan 28, 2023 Westlake Village Art Guild Member Show
"Feathers and Stones" won the award for "Most Realistic"
July 17 - Aug 21, 2022 California Art Club 111th Gold Medal Exhibition
Bowers Museum, 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California
Exhibition available on-line: 111th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition » California Art Club
June 3 - June 28, 2022 Westlake Village Art Guild Open Juried Show
Thousand Oaks Community Art Gallery, 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park, California
Sept 23, 2021 - Jan 23, 2022 California Art Club "Coastal California"
California Art Club Gallery at The Old Mill, 1120 Old Mill Road, San Marino, California
Click here to view the exhibit on-line.
July 10 - Aug 14, 2021 California Art Club 110th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition
Hilbert Museum of California Art, Chapman University, Orange, California
Exhibiting "Preen" -winner of the "Art Lover's Choice" Award for Figurative subjects.
Click here to view the exhibit on-line.
May 22 - Aug 1, 2021 California Art Club "On Location - Malibu"
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California
Exhibiting "Lunch at King Gillette - Nanday Parakeets", "Tidepools - Whimbrel" and "Winter's Rest - Black-bellied Plover".
Click here to view the exhibit on-line.
April 1, 2021 - May 31, 2021 Westlake Village Art Guild Open Juried Show.
"Merlin" was awarded the Third Place award in the Oil and Acrylic division.
November 29, 2020 - January 29, 2021 California Art Club "Welcome to California"
On-line exhibition
September 1 - September 30, 2019 Ojai Raptor Center show
Ojai Art Center, 113 So. Montgomery St, Ojai. Barn Owl oil painting donated to fundraiser to support the Ojai Raptor Center.
July 2 – August 30, 2019 California Art Club "Malibu Miniatures" show
Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center, King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas, California. Juried event at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Center.
November 4, 2018 Ojai Raptor Center Open House
Paintings donated to support the rescue and rehabilitation of injured raptors.
October 31, 2004 Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Annual Show
San Bernardino Natural History Museum, California.
May 9, 2003 Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Annual Show
California State University, Northridge, California.
