Critters - A New Art Show in the Program Room

For the next three weeks, the Virginia Discovery Museum is proud to showcase the works of local artist, Leslie Allyn, in a solo exhibition, “Critters.” Allyn believes that animals of all types carry a magic; a sense of whimsy that she attempts to recreate in her watercolor paintings. She focuses on the relationship between critters and humans, specifically the personalities of these animals, bugs, and fish. To study the faces and movements of these creatures, one becomes enlightened by the similarities to the expressions and bodily movements of human beings. Such similarities can be “amusing, comforting, mysterious, or even scary.” Allyn enjoys this personal connection with nature’s critters and finds inspiration in the curiosity of a baby goat or the glistening dew on the woven web of a diligent spider. These paintings depict “moments in time” that not only highlight the personalities of the critters, but also glorify the strangeness and magic of our relationship with nature. Allyn successfully captures the human-like characteristics of each critter in her works, whether it is the fearlessness of a “Flying Squirrel,” the sweet nature of a donkey offering flowers in “Ridonkulous Ranunculus,” or the wide-eyed, stressed-out exhaustion of a fish in “Spaced Out.” Be sure to check out Allyn’s works in the Program Room of the Virginia Discovery Museum on your next visit. To learn more about the artist and her process, also check out her website at http://www.leslieallyn.com/.