Throughout distinguished careers in science education, Heinz and Elizabeth (Sonny) Meng have maintained a passion for painting as a way to illustrate and celebrate life. A world renowned authority on falcons, Heinz is a self-taught artist who depicts birds of prey in true-to-life settings with uncompromising attention to detail. Since her retirement as a Science Education Specialist, Sonny has been studying at the Woodstock School of Art, where she works in oils, pastels and watercolors. Unison is pleased to present a selection of Heinz's acclaimed watercolors together with Sonny's paintings of friends, family and local landscapes.

The first falcon that Heinz caught was when he was 15 years old, he was fishing with his father on one of the beaches on the south shore of Long Island. You will notice that a beach scene is used in some of his paintings. Other paintings depict other appropriate scenes and behaviors, such as the transfer of food from the male to the female which she would then bring back to the young in the nest. The falconry equipment pictured in his paintings is accurate, for example the depiction of bow perches or block perches, and are appropriate to the species and practice of falconry. Authenticity and accuracy are very important to him and he devotes great effort to them.

In the words of Sonny: "I'm a slow painter, so have a lot of unfinished paintings at home that were started at school I'm told that I work close to the canvas (use thin paint.) I paint just for myself, no audience... and enjoy creating and playing and trying things, though, at times, I seem to be developing a style. Some times I manage to brighten up the painting enough to please my family. I don't seem to find as much time to paint lately as I thought I would have when I retired."