WAUSAU, WISCONSIN: Twining throughout buds, blossoms, and leaves of three botanical exhibitions on view June 23 through August 26 at the Woodson Art Museum are themes about the fleeting nature of plants’ life cycles and their fragile yet essential place in the ecosystem.
Watercolor and pencil drawings in Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art showcase the exquisiteness of nature and artists’ abilities to draw out the inherent beauty of plant specimens. While building their contemporary botanical art collection in the late 1990s, Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton sought more than scientifically accurate depictions. Through artwork distinguished by artists’ personal interpretations,Botanicals offers a blend of art and science intended to inspire, educate, and encourage viewers to be better stewards of natural resources for future generations. Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art, courtesy Alisa and Isaac M. Sutton, Brooklyn, NY.
The lush delicacy of the Sutton’s collection differs from the boldly geometric and brightly colored paintings in Rhythm of Life: Watercolors by Richard Bolingbroke. The San Francisco artist places contrasting natural elements such as lilies and briars in circular patterns to portray the cycle of life infused with personal symbolism. Employing what he calls “the pulsing tension of opposites,” Bolingbroke juxtaposes flowers and thorns, fabrics and stones, and Asian and Western themes in his vivid, colorful still lifes. Rhythm of Life: Watercolors by Richard Bolingbroke was organized through Katharine T. Carter & Associates.
In Nature Observed: Wendy Brockman Watercolors, the Minnesota artist’s watercolor acorns, leaves, pinecones, and feathers evoke the stillness and calm of nature. Brockman, included in Birds in Art since 2010, leads teen art camp sessions, an all-day adult class, and a Sunday gallery demonstration and talk during her artist residency at the Museum, July 16-22. Funding for Brockman’s residency, A New Leaf, comes from a Community Arts Grant from the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, with funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board, Community Foundation, and the B.A. & Esther Greenheck Foundation.
Woodson Art Museum
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
First Thursday of each month 9:00 am – 7:30 pm
Saturday – Sunday Noon – 5:00 pm
Closed Monday and holidays, including July 4
Admission: Always Free Admission
Phone: 715.845.7010
Fax: 715.845.7103
Email: museum@lywam.org
Location: Franklin and 12th Streets, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403-5007 (700 N. 12th Street)
Online: www.lywam.org
