Darien artist Elizabeth Higgins, known locally as Betsy Higgins, has donated artwork for a silent auction on behalf of the Tree Conservancy of Darien at a complimentary cocktail reception for its photo contest.
The organization’s its fourth annual photo contest, ‘Celebration of Trees’, will be held March 4 at the Darien Nature Center from 6 to 8 p.m.
Eileen Smith from the Tree Conservancy of Darien and artist Elizabeth Higgins. (contributed photo)
Higgins has donated her 48-inch wide by 24-inch high oil painting on canvas, “Spring Landscape” for bidding in the silent auction.
Higgins was born in Toronto, Ontario and has an MFA degree in painting from the Parson’s School of Design in Manhattan. She has shown her artwork previously at the Prince Street Gallery in SoHo, New York, where she will again exhibit her work this spring.
Palmers Market has generously sponsored the reception, which is open to all. Wineport of Darien has donated wines for the evening.
All proceeds from the photo contest and reception will go directly toward the care and planting of trees in Darien.
Those who live, work or volunteer in Darien, wishing to enter the photo contest must submit entries on Thursday, Feb. 25 or Friday, Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Darien Nature Center, 120 Brookside Road. Photos should be taken within the past two years and can be black and white or color.
Tree Conservancy is expanding the scope of this year’s contest by allowing photos of trees outside of Darien to be submitted for entry and including a Fairfield County professional category.
The new professional category is for Fairfield County artists and photographers who have an established artistic career, a website featuring their artwork, or have marketed personal artwork or photographs for sale in galleries or professional venues.
“Spring Landscape”, donated artwork by Elizabeth Higgins (contributed photo)
Professional entries must be matted and framed by the photographer and cannot exceed 16×20 in overall size. Photo entries from non-professionals must be 8×10 in size and will be matted by Tree Conservancy. Also new this year is that contestants can offer their photographs for sale, with 30 percent of the sale price going to Tree Conservancy.
Registration fee is $10 for students, $15 for adults and $15 for professionals, with a limit of three entries per person and one per category. Rules for entry and printable entry form can be found at treeconservancyofdarien.org.
Photos will be displayed at the Darien Nature Center from March 4 to 25, and will be judged by Nancy McTague-Stock and Bill Taufic.
Prizes will be awarded in several categories that include Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Beyond Darien’s Borders and Series of 2 or 3 photos. The juried show will include ribbons for professionals, adults, elementary, middle and high school participants.
Established in 2010, TCD has planted over 300 trees in Darien. For more information or to donate to Tree Conservancy of Darien, visit the Tree Conservancy at treeconservancyofdarien.org or email them at info@treeconservancyofdarien.org.
The Tree Conservancy of Darien is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the tree and forest resources of Darien for the benefit of the community, its health and its quality of life.
Its goals are to educate the community about the value of trees and their care, to identify and revitalize significant (heritage) trees in town, to maintain a stewardship program for the care and maintenance of existing trees, and to build partnerships to achieve Tree Conservancy of Darien goals. TCD can be reached at info@treeconservancyofdarien.org.