Serenity. That is the one word that comes to mind when describing The Schumacher’s opening exhibit, “When Nature Speaks”.
Local Columbus artists Kirsten Bowen and Karen LaValley found a way to invoke feelings of home and warmth into the exhibit, making viewers immediately feel at ease when stepping into The Schumacher. After the last exhibit, “A Requiem: Tribute to the Spiritual Space at Auschwitz”, “When Nature Speaks” feels like a breath of fresh air.
Gallery director David Gentilini said, “This is the first local show we have done in a few years. It has more of an uplifting energy and gives people the opportunity to go into Columbus and view more art and immerse themselves in the community.”
While I walked through the exhibit, I could feel that energy buzzing around. For a moment I could forget about the raging cold outside and wrap myself in the warm poetry found delicately hidden in Kirsten’s painting or the strokes of pink in Karen’s rose petals. Spring came to life around me.
Second-year Will Fortune, a gallery assistant, talked about his experience with the exhibit. “This exhibit definitely has a more uplifting feel than others,” he said, referencing once again the difference in tones from the previous exhibit held.
Fortune spoke on the feelings of peace it brought to the gallery, focusing on the beauty of nature.
There was definitely an emphasis on joy while walking around the paintings. After reading about the artists Bowen and LaValley, I came to learn more about their decades-long friendship, and the influences in their pieces.
Bowen used expressions of poetry in her artwork, which was unveiled to the viewer through minutes staring at the paintings. Most of her captions were accompanied by song lyrics or bits of prose, some of which immediately helped me understand the depths of her paintings.
LaValley used experiences from her youth to create landscapes that seemed to dance and flutter off the canvases.
Director Gentilini explained to me that LaValley used a technique called plein air (where artists leave their studios and opt to paint outside to fully immerse in their subject) to create the beautiful landscapes. Gentilini explained that aspiring artists can view her paintings and get a sense of how to recreate plein air techniques themselves, endoctoring the technique into their own craft.
I left the gallery with a slight feeling of disappointment. I did not see many students in attendance, and wished there were more to experience the art with a young eye. I would have loved to see the difference in opinions from the older attendees to the younger. That being said, the exhibit is set to run until April 9, 2022, so there is plenty of time to still view and enjoy the paintings. I truly hope more people come out to feel the warmth Bowen and LaValley put behind these pieces of art, especially at a time where we can all use some homely fire to heat us up.
