Hasta La Ideas

Tiffany Bozic’s stunning paintings showing the emotional side of living creatures

Masterfully melding science with fine art, self-taught painter Tiffany Bozic explores the subtleties of the natural world through her bold and beautifully executed works. Her whimsical illustrations of instinctual behaviors in the wild result in works that at first blush look straightforward, but an up-close view reveals much more complicated dynamics at play. “Confiding To Strangers“—currently on display at the Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC—continues her exploration of how all living things (humans included) relate and live among each other in the wild.

When possible Bozic studies her subjects in their natural habitat, much like her favorite artist John James Audubon. While travels span Papua New Guinea with a bird scientist (who she later married), Namibia, Australia and beyond, when Bozic isn’t in the field she does research at San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences or examines creatures through her digital photographs.

Painting with acrylic on Maple panels or watercolor on paper, Bozic uses her subjects to metaphorically express her emotions. As she explained in a recent video, her painting about sexual selection dubbed “Passion in Paradise” (above right) visually portrays the story of two male animals whose horns got stuck together while fighting over a female. Turning the horns into connected Birds of Paradise, Bozic says the story shows just how powerful the female species can be.

With 31 new works in total, “Confiding To Strangers” is a gorgeously thoughtful exhibit about the numerous complex relationships we have with the living environment. The show is on view at Joshua Liner Gallery through 11 December 2010.

Some hauntingly beautiful work by Californian artist Brooks Shane Salzwedel, who uses layered resin to create depth in her pieces. Look at more of her work on her site.