Expert Dr. John Cody to conduct educational seminar, display artwork
GREAT BEND — Traveling to several continents, Dr. John Cody has followed, studied, and rendered in exquisite detail giant silk moths. Christened the "Audubon of Moths," Dr. Cody will present "Night Beauties — The Giant Silk Moths" at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, near Great Bend. In addition to his presentation, Cody will premier one of his newest paintings and display two additional original paintings. Several mounted silk moth specimens will be on display, along with the cocoons of two species.

Intended for all ages, the presentation will be followed by an activity for youngsters. There is no charge for the presentation or activity.

Dr. Cody brings to life the startling beauty of these ethereal creatures in his watercolor paintings, which are on display at Sternberg Museum in Hays through March 27. Although his life's work has been to depict the beauty of silk moths on canvas, his presentations provide a fascinating glimpse into the environment and life of silk months.

An encounter at the age of five with a large silk moth in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., began a lifelong passion for Cody. He attended medical school and practiced as a psychiatrist for 25 years. During that time however, he continued studying and painting silk moths from his studio in Hays, taking his wife and three children on trips around the world to observe his subjects.

He received the Kansas Governor's Arts Award in 1997 for Individual Artist Lifetime Achievement. His exhibitions have included one-man shows at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

For more information, phone the Kansas Wetlands Education Center at 620-786-7456 or 1-877-243-9268.
-30-

Back to 2/10/11 News