When I was a kid growing up in New York City, my favorite thing to do on a Saturday was go to the Natural History Museum. I must have gone 1,000 times, and it never got old. Seeing that herd of elephants, or the dinosaur bones or the giant blue whale suspended above me ... it was all wonderful.
But by far, my favorite thing about the museum was the hall of African animals, two floors worth, mounted and backed by those cool dioramas. After a while, I got to know the animals so well, going to the museum was like visiting old friends. And after a while, my curiosity led me to study not only the animals, but amazingly detailed art of the dioramas. They really made you feel like you were right there, and there was such drama in the details - a wildfire off in the distance on the savanna ... a thunderstorm rolling in ... vultures circling in the background.
So, it was with considerable delight that I found out Fred F. Scherer, whose art will be exhibited at the Crowell Gallery in Newfane's Moore Free Library, had spent more than three decades of his life painting many of those dioramas. I found this out from his daughter, Deidre Scherer, a well-known artist in her own right, whose work will be exhibited alongside her father's - along with that of her step-mother Cicely Aikman in an exhibit titled "The Family Tree." Deidre was more than pleased to point the spotlight away from her and toward Fred and Cicely for this exhibit.
Deidre confessed that the Museum of Natural History was a favorite place of hers to play hookie. The museum remains a must-visit for me whenever I return to the city - just ask my wife.
For all these reasons, I'm particularly excited to meet Fred F. Scherer at the opening of "The Family Tree" exhibit Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in Newfane. It's safe to say he may have been the single most important artistic influence on me at a young age.