Art Reception "Where We Stop and Nature Begins". Watercolor Paintings by Lucie Wellner

Watercolor artist Lucie Wellner brings a series of new paintings to Baltimore Woods Nature Center that portray the soft margins between ourselves and nature. The public is invited to attend the opening reception when they can meet the artist, enjoy refreshments and view the exhibit. Original paintings as well as prints and stationery depicting landscapes and local scenes will be available for sale and a portion of the proceeds will go to support the mission of Baltimore Woods Nature Center. Admission and parking are free. The paintings in this exhibit were all created with a particular intention in mind. Wellner explains it in this way “This series explores how the edges between our minds and nature are blurred. It also imparts the blissful feeling we get when we allow those barriers to soften as much as possible. That's when being "at one with nature" might occur.” In each of her paintings for this exhibit, Wellner depicts a single human, either a full figure or a head portrait amongst leaves, flowers and in one instance, ferns. The colors are both bright and subdued, and are blended in a way to evoke the positive feelings that she intends. Lucie Wellner has been painting with watercolors since 1997. In practice, Wellner finds the materials are simple, and the results are portable, so watercolor is perfect for her as she travels throughout the state as well as to other parts of the country and the world. But according to Wellner, the real reason that she chooses to use this medium again and again is that the paper, water, and color create infinite and intriguing possibilities. “I never stopped exploring this medium” she states “and I haven't reached the end yet.” About the Artist: Lucy Wellner is a central New York State artist who was raised, and still lives in a part of the state that has an abundance of rolling hills, dairy farms, woods, fields, wildflowers, and trees; their presence influences her daily life and painting. Her formal training was in surface pattern design, which led to 15 years of designing dinnerware. Presently, she regularly teaches beginner and intermediate watercolor classes through CazArts Art Alliance in Cazenovia.