PRESS RELEASE
MARY-JANE MORRIS: Bird Song
Aug 20 – Sep 14, 2025
Bird Song, a solo exhibition by Mary-Jane Morris
Meet the artist: Saturday 30th August- 11am
Birdsong presents a group of paintings that have emerged from my ongoing exploration of human-nature connectivity. Through the use of an abstract expressionist language, I have endeavoured to capture the sensory and emotional experience of watching and listening to birds in the landscape where I live. Intuition plays a central role in my creative process – the selection of colors, media and mark-making as the painting evolves. Imagery may emerge or the painting will become an expression of feeling, of sensing, of being absorbed in the sights and sounds of nature.
Before the sun rises, the forest comes alive with sound as the new day is announced by a chorus of bird chatter. In the evening, calls abound as birds return to their roosts, with hadedas being particularly vocal. At night, there is the call of the nightjar and the hooting of owls across the stillness. Every so often the gentle rain bird call can be heard, a forewarning of wet weather. The thick knees are very active in spring and summer emitting deep hissing sounds when protecting their young. Fish eagles glide up and down the river valley calling to each other.
Watching and listening to birds is not only a source of inspiration, but has also piqued my curiosity about the connection between bird sounds and human wellbeing. Interestingly, this is the subject of quite extensive scientific research. According to a recent article in National Geographic, hearing birds calling and singing gives a ‘wellness boost’. It is thought that human music was inspired or perhaps even came from animal song. Imitations of animal songs occur in the traditional music of numerous cultures, and appear in some of the earliest notated music.
The embodiment of the human-nature connection, through bird calls can be found in the interaction between honey gathers and honeyguides. In parts of Africa, honey gatherers connect with the honeyguide through making special sounds. The honey gathers say that this communication “tells the honeyguide you’re their friend". The honeyguides help find the bees’ nest and the honey gathers make the wax the birds need easily available. This communication between humans and birds (the honeyguides) is thought to be very ancient, probably in the order of hundreds of thousands of years.
Artist Bio
Mary-Jane Morris holds a degree in earth and natural sciences and has practiced as an environmental scientist for over 37 years. Her long-standing interest in art led her to start painting seriously in 1996, prompted by a gift of water colours from her husband. She lives and works on a nature farm outside Sedgefield, having moved from Cape Town in 2014. Mary-Jane has developed her art practice
through self-study and has also attended courses and workshops in South Africa and internationally. She is currently pursuing further professional development through the Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) certificate programme with Professor Elfriede Dreyer. In 2022 she completed the Porthmeor Programme offered by the St Ives School of Painting in Cornwall, UK and continues to participate in their alumni events.
Over the years she has participated in several group exhibitions both whilst living in Cape Town and since moving to the Garden Route. In July 2020 she was the featured artist with the edg2020 Gallery. During 2023, she participated in two group exhibitions in Europe: Latuvu Gallery in Bages, France and Lessandra Gallery in Sofia, Bulgaria. As well as participating in group exhibitions at Knysna Fine Art and the Gallery @ Glen Carlou in 2024 and her artwork “Thunderclap” was selected for the artb gallery Vuleka competition exhibition. Her work can be found in private collections in South Africa, Nigeria, Europe, the U.K and the U.S.A.
