“Nature’s Keep” originated with Ed McCartan’s proposal submitted to the Harlow Gallery for a Nature based exhibit which featured his work as well as the work of his friend Barbara Bean of Brunswick, Maine.  I took on the challenge to curate this show as part of my role for the Harlow’s exhibition committee for 2010-11 .

I first visited Ed McCartan’s studio in Fort Andross and was drawn to several paintings he had which had some Aesthetic Movement elements about them.

I then visited Barbara Bean’s studio and saw her prints an pen & ink work.  Her line work evokes 19th c. illustrations, her colorful prints with painted and collaged elements give permanence to encounters with the woods and its creatures.

Barbara’s Artist Statement:

The prints and drawings selected for this exhibit are works created with ink, prismacolor and collage.  All have been completed in this calendar year and are representative of a larger body of work I call Woodland Margins, a collection that focuses on the edges of woodlands, bogs and glades.

This project has been consuming and continues to entice me.  Drawing and print-making simultaneously fuels my energy and permits me to experiment with watercolor and ink washes.