An Unlikely Garden: David Scott Gallery

Pictured Above: Snare, by Csilla Sadloch. oil on board, 34 x 30″

An Unlikely Garden: David Scott Gallery

NEWSROOM POST: Princeton, NJ

Princeton, NJ – David Scott Gallery in Princeton is presenting Botanica: An Unlikely Garden, a group exhibition of seven artists from Central NJ and Bucks County, from April 29th – June 24th. The opening reception is Saturday, May 20th, from 2-5 pm. The gallery is located in the offices of Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach, at 253 Nassau St, Princeton. Gallery hours are M-F, 9-5, weekends from 10-4.

Pictured Above: Vetch, by Susan Mania. oil on canvas, 44 x 56″

With this show, I wanted to present a slightly alternative look at the botanical world. Generally speaking, artists have a different way of “seeing”, often finding beauty in what others might overlook. While reviewing portfolios for the show, I found the most compelling representations to be those that were less sentimental and straightforward. This is typical of my own personal aesthetic, but the audience will easily connect with this group of work, finding the vibrant splendor of the natural world still very much on display.

Pictured above: Wood Field Trail, by Jean Burdick. silkscreen on vellum, 20 x 20″

Jean Burdick – I create photo silkscreens from my landscape photographs
recording light, shadow and memory. I enhance the image by printing, painting
and mark-making. Reimagining what I have observed, I reference the natural
world with its organic structures. The resulting images suggest narratives of
unfolding life cycles: birth, growth, death and renewal.

Susan Mania – My paintings and works on paper explore observations of the
landscape. I work with plants to make dyes, inks and paints. From the many natural elements that arise in my work, I pull apart individual components to remix and organize elements, bringing a new interpretation through layered composition and a diverse color palette.

Csilla Sadloch – I scavenge for visually compelling objects and photograph hives,
tree roots, dried leaves, wilted flower heads. I am attracted to the notion that moving lines, forms or color will energize a flat, two-dimensional surface. I am
compelled by the observation that natural forms can be unrestrained and
abstractly expressed.

Alison Scherr is a painter interpreting the movement of light and patterns in
nature, images unaltered by the human hand. Using a mix of latex, acrylic, ink,
pastel and spray paint, Scherr creates mainly large paintings on drop cloth, pulling paint across the canvas, exploring shapes in the wild or garden.

Pictured Above: Petals, Paper Paint One, by Barbara Straussberg. acrylic, handmade paper, and mixed media on linen, 26 x 30″

Barbara Straussberg is an abstract painter and paper artist working in
Philadelphia. Her approach to art making is intuitive and experimental, employing
such techniques as dripping, tearing and mark-making. She captures the feeling
of being in nature by transforming the trees and flora around her into line and
paint.

Ann Thomas – Working in oils, I paint landscapes and natural forms based on places I know well in Hunterdon County. I am deeply influenced by the colors of nature, and all of nature’s endless interlocking shapes.

Kathleen Thompson – I am a writer and printmaker currently exploring Nalanda
Miksang, the practice of contemplative photography. There is intention in every
image, an attempt to document what I feel: a transfer of energy, a recognition of
the natural and unique space in which I am viewing the subject.