Cynthia Kulp
Art and nature have always played an important role in Cynthia Kulp¹s life, drawing
and painting from the first time she can remember. She received her first oil painting
set at the age of 7, which began a life-long exploration and passion for painting.
While attending Rhode Island School of Design, she diligently studied color theory
and animal anatomy at RISD's famous Nature Lab. Cynthia took side trips to Harvard's
Peabody Museum where literally thousands of preserved animals are kept. Later at
RISD, Cynthia traveled to Rome, Italy where she studied Renaissance and early Dutch
painters in detail as well as the old masters¹ materials and techniques. The narrative
aspect of their work fascinated her.
At that time, Cynthia discovered a new obsession, which were parrots. She eagerly
devoured information and became acquainted with several bird breeders in the area.
Cynthia has spent almost 15 years raising and studying parrots. She has written
articles for bird related magazines such as Companion Parrot Quarterly
and AFA Watchbird in addition to working with many parrot conservation
organizations such as WPT, RSCF and CPQ raising money
through donated paintings.
Cynthia and her husband, Rob, share their household with many species of parrots
and 4 dogs. There are plenty of models for her paintings at any given time. She
finds their intelligence, sensitivity and habits unendingly fascinating. There is
limited written information on birds' quirky behaviors. Most that is known is handed
down by word of mouth from experienced birds owners and breeders. Only within the
past 5 or so years have scientists actually attempted to study parrots in the wild.
Cynthia imparts a narrative feel to the birds she paints. It not only reveals the
"characters" in a piece but also expresses a passage of time with the still image.
Specific narrative details infer a past, present and future within the characters
of the work. One has to be intimately familiar with the subject in order to identify
such tiny details. It is not absolutely essential to be familiar with the subject
however. The piece can simply be enjoyed on its own technical merits.
Artist's Statement
"Truth of form, beauty and emotion can be found in singularly small fleeting instances
in nature. Most instances happen and are gone before many of us take notice. In
the graceful stretch of a wing or an affectionate caress of feathers, my focused
searching eye seeks out these moments. Hard work and commitment play a role in any
creative life when an artist settles down to find their voice. For me, the labor
and commitment of keeping one hundred tropical birds came first and has turned out
to be my inspiration. The richness, beauty and absolute truth I found within the
lives of my birds saturated my thoughts and dreams; a life of volume and emotion
I find irresistible, as a human observer, to attempt to capture.
"I’ve been raising and studying parrots over the last 15 years and have been fortunate
enough to keep many different species. Having “hands-on” experience affords me the
opportunity to observe the intricacies of parrot personalities. Dr. Irene Pepperberg
from the University of Arizona has been studying parrot intelligence for the past
25 years and has scientifically proven that parrots are as intelligent as chimpanzees
and dolphins. I see parrots as individual sentient beings and attempt to capture
those qualities within the subject of my oil paintings.
"I have always been interested in the concept of the narrative. I borrowed the Renaissance
painters’ legacy of the narrative. They tell a story within the confines of religious
or mythical significance. My work explores the narrative with a focus on physiological
and behavioral biology of parrots; and this becomes the iconography and is decidedly
set aside from human lives and values.
"Most large parrots are only one generation out of the wild. To experience a close
emotional relationship with a literally wild undomesticated animal is fascinating
to me. The human world with all its worries and subterfuge fades away and a single
truth emerges, the truth of pure emotion felt without barriers or limitations.
"In my work, color plays an important role; the vibrant colors of my subjects echo
their highly charged emotional lives. It is surprising how complicated their feelings
can be; the many layers of their personalities are mirrored in my execution. Layers
upon layer of transparent glazes are applied to capture saturated colors and depth
seeming to create a light from within the paintings. As the light of day fades to
evening, the paintings still glow and change subtly as if to mirror the changing
sky."
~ Cynthia Kulp, 2005
Cynthia Kulp's giclées are printed on archival-quality matte papers, and
Lexjet 20 mil satin canvas.
Giclée
Giclée printing represents an advance in the art of printmaking, rivalling
traditional methods and processes to produce high-quality reproductions.
First, a high resolution scan is made of the original. Then, using a professional
color inkjet printer with archival quality inks, prints are created on various surfaces,
from archival paper to photo paper or canvas. This process results in millions of
colors utilizing continuous tone technology, retaining all the fine detail of the
original.
Images may be viewed in the
Kulp Gallery.