Robert Verity Clem (1933-2010)

Gyrfalcon-Iceland, Robert Verity Clem, 1966

Clem's art is all about the experience of observing birds. "I want to show birds in all the attractive situations in which they are found, as they are seen, using the play of light and shadow," he said.

Working in watercolor, he developed an unusually detailed technique which is also soft, subtle, and painterly. 

He is most widely known for his watercolors in the 1967 book Shorebirds of North America by Peter Matthiessen.

The Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon has presented two exhibitions of his work in the Gallery: 

• True to Life: The Art of Robert Verity Clem (October 2, 2011–January 15, 2012)
• True to Life: Watercolors by Robert Verity Clem (January 27, 2000–June 30, 2000)

MABA's permanent collection holds more than 30 Clem artworks as well as his archive, which includes correspondence and photographs. 

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