Dear Members,

In these unprecedented times, it is crucial that we all do our part to keep our community safe. As such, the OAA supports the steps taken by public health officials to slow the spread of COVID-19. In order to adhere to social distancing protocols, the OAA Membership Meetings have been suspended until further noticed.

We know this is difficult for all and we appreciate all of your continued support during this trying period.

Your OAA Board of Directors

NOTE: This month, our guest speaker was going to be Lori Dunn.

Wildlife artist Lori Dunn has become one of the world's foremost scratchboard artists. After earning a degree in zoology, she spent 15 years as a zookeeper and naturalist. These years of experience gave her an appreciation for nature conservation and the ability to depict wildlife in a realistic and highly detailed manner. Lori is now a full time wildlife artist with a strong focus on preserving biodiversity. Lori's chosen medium of scratchboard consists of three layers of material. A hardboard base is coated with a layer of white kaolin clay, sanded smooth, and a layer of black India ink applied over top. The image is engraved through the ink into the clay layer using an extremely fine tool such as a surgical scalpel blade. This medium is considered by many artists to be one of the most difficult to master. It takes a very steady hand to maintain the correct pressure required to etch each fine line to a particular depth on order to achieve tonal variation. Lori particularly loves this medium for the ability to focus on light and shadow, rather than color, as well as the unsurpassed level of detail that can be created using just the tip of the knife. Lori Dunn's scratchboard artworks have garnered International recognition, winning awards in several exhibitions. She is a signature member of The Society of Animal Artists, and has a Master title from the International Society of Scratchboard Artists. Many of her works have been exhibited in museums and galleries across North America. She works from her home studio in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, where she happily spends her free time enjoying nature in all of its forms. www.loridunnart.com