Nature Canada

What an Inspired Gift: A Big Thanks to Norman & Marion Takeuchi!

Jodi and Noah

Jodi Joy
Director of Development

What inspires and refreshes your spirit – is it the thrilling call of the loon heard at the cottage or at a campsite? Or the sunlight filtering through maples while on a hike or even the chirp of the songbird at your feeder? Or the dream of seeing a wolf or bear or other endangered species in the wild?

Nature has given us inspiration for centuries – and often is expressed creatively through our poems, writings, paintings and sculptures.

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree. – Emily Bronte

As the woods are the same, the trees standing in their places, the rocks and the earth…they are
always different too, as lights and shadows and seasons and moods pass through them. – Emily Carr

We would like to thank our members, Norman Takeuchi and his wife, Marion who have been members of Nature Canada for over 20 years. Norman, who is a visual artist, was inspired to create a series of six paintings of endangered species, displayed them recently at an art exhibit* to draw awareness of their plight and donated his proceeds to support our efforts to protect endangered species.

When I thanked Norman for his initiative and kindness he humbly noted that, “the issues Nature Canada deals with matter deeply to us” and he felt “this was a concrete way to use my talents to do more”. Well, a big thanks from us to him for this “inspired” gift.

I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of his paintings and have included a few here for your enjoyment:

Spotted Owl painting

Spotted Owl painting

Eastern Gray Wolf painting

Eastern Gray Wolf painting

And in hope you’ll also be inspired to defend and protect endangered species now to ensure they have a future.

Nature’s beauty is core to our Canadian history and culture. By defending nature we help nurture our culture and spirit and ensure future generations will be able to explore and adore our natural world.

 

 

As Yann Martel noted: “Nature can put on a thrilling show. The stage is vast, the lighting is dramatic, the extras are innumerable, and the budget for special effects is absolutely unlimited.”   And yet, I’m also reminded of what Robert Batemen said: “Nature is not a free lunch, but we treat it as a free lunch.”

Again our thanks to Norman and Marion for their continued trust and support and to all our members, who care deeply about nature and take amazing actions to protect it each and every day.

*Norman Takeuchi is a full time artist working in Ottawa and is represented by the Cube Gallery.

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