The Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech ended this warm, sunny August with a bang – and a brew! Hosted at Rising Silo Brewery, the center’s monthly science outreach event Science on Tap featured Matt Gentry, local artist and outdoorsman, who shared his process for capturing the beauty of nature in watercolor and sketches. 

    Gentry, a longtime photographer with the Roanoke Times, has been working with watercolor for five years. His body of work is compiled mostly in sketchbooks and on small canvases he takes along on his many adventures. The sketchbooks feature scenes from familiar sites such as the Cascades and Heritage Park, as well as “art snapshots” from his travels farther from home. Occasionally, the silhouettes of figures can be seen speckled throughout his works, interacting naturally with his landscapes; Gentry says he adds human figures to his work primarily to show scale. Each piece boasts an exquisite use of color and keen sense of proportionality – and Gentry says that he spends about an hour on each, completing the work in the natural environment he so appreciates.

This photo shows an easel and art supply box. On the easel is a watercolor painting of a river scene.
Gentry showed his Science on Tap audience his easel, paints, brushes, and other supplies, as well as sharing some of his sketchbooks and completed canvases.

    “There’s not an artist alive that can improve upon nature’s beauty,” said Gentry. “You have to embrace the chaos.” Gentry communicates this through a number of watercolor techniques, such as tap splattering to create organic shapes. He also stressed the importance of slowing down and appreciating your environment in order to fully capture it – and of appreciating the process of painting. Gentry makes sure to bring along trail-friendly art supplies when he hikes, as well as a trusty Sharpie to doodle on the go. He showed the audience his supplies, techniques, and some favorite paintings.

    After Gentry’s talk, listeners were encouraged to participate in an “art hour,” providing a chance for them to create their own nature drawings. Participants were given just a few seconds to observe a photo of a blue jay before attempting to create their own sketches of the bird from memory, as Gentry and other artists who work outdoors often must do. They were also given the opportunity to be featured alongside Gentry’s work in a (very local) art show. A meet and greet was also held immediately following the talk, where participants could see Gentry’s sketchbooks and paintings up close and personal and could ask him questions.

    Check out Gentry’s nature journaling on his Instagram account, @sharpiegentry. 

This image shows the back of a person speaking to a crowd of people seated at picnic tables in an outdoor venue.
Matt Gentry addresses the crowd at Rising Silo Brewery.

    Science on Tap provides a casual setting in which participants can enjoy food, drinks, and talks related to science. Also supported by the Virginia Tech chapter of Sigma Xi, Science on Tap’s fall slate of events includes:

  • October 26:  - Alex Freeze, science communicator, photographer, and videographer: “The Science of Storytelling: Conservation Media and Connecting People to the Wild.”
  • November 30: Jennifer Phillips, graduate student in the Cap Lab (Cognition, Affect, and Psychophysiology): “No CAP: Hokies Inside Out.”

All are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Rising Silo Brewery. Please join us!

By Maia Mirro, Center for Communicating Science student intern