Harney County Hosts the Migratory Bird Festival with featured artist Lyla Messick April 8-10 in Burns.

Painter and photographer Lyla Messick combined her biology and fine art degrees in the beginning of her career to draw birds, plants and animals with scientific accuracy. Lyla lives in Harney County at the Malheur Field Station, which allows her easy access to the vast Southeast Oregon capturing a sense of time and the experience of being present in the environment. She paints her landscapes in multiple stages – sometimes over many hours, sometimes over several days – and with techniques that emphasize capturing the impressions of a moment over fine details. Each panel is a document of the subtle changes in light, atmosphere and environment that happen over time. “I’m trying to capture the essence of being here all day, ” she says, “and bring that to the viewer.”

Lyla was featured in 2011 on Oregon Art Beat as she worked on a three panel portrait of Big Indian Gorge.

www.migratorybirdfestival.com