The eyes of the tiger are a sight to see

Look into Victoria Armstrong’s eyes and you’ll see just how much she truly cares. I’m not talking about her eyes specifically, but rather the eyes on the images of the wild animals she has lovingly, painstakingly and tenderly recreated in her paintings.

The St. Albert artist has a new show on now, the title of which simply says it all. Wild! is a really spectacular display of her acrylic works featuring some sample creatures from our local fauna to as far away as the Serengeti plains. The detail in each piece is astounding, so much so that it does appear to have been crafted hair by hair with the finest brush. She truly cares for these animals and to her, each one tells an amazing story.

Take the snowy owl, for example. It was a rescued animal being treated at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, where Armstrong was a volunteer. The picture shows the animal taking its first flight after being released, its wings catching the air as it lifts itself away. Looking at it, I feel the full measure of its freedom and it all has to do with the look in its eye and the bristles on its feathers.

To hear her talk about the bird, you can tell that she felt it too and that passion comes through clearly in her art.

“Oh my goodness, she was a beautiful owl. So feisty, so mad at everybody! It was just so unbelievable,” she exclaimed. “We’re all there with our cameras just waiting for this magical moment that’s just gone like that. It was so magical.”

She must be considered as much a humanitarian as an artist for her level of appreciation of these wild animals. A large part of her desire to paint comes from this interest in showing people the beauty in the animal kingdom and raising awareness about the damage humankind does in the world. A portion of the proceeds from her sales is going to be split between the society and the World Wildlife Fund.

In her artist’s statement, she explains why this is so important to her. She wrote:

“My dream is to celebrate the lives of these precious creatures by raising awareness to their fight for survival in our increasingly threatened world. We have the earth’s future in our hands and all eyes are on us as it unfolds.”

As I read this phrase, it dawns on me how important the animals’ eyes are to her work. There is one piece, Do Not Go Gentle, that shows a tiger walking toward the jungle but with its head turned back to look at the viewer directly. It’s a startling image, one that screams out for conscientious observance of nature. Those are the eyes that she wrote about in her statement. This isn’t just an art exhibit; this is a peaceful demonstration with a booming voice.