Submitted by Karen Jean Smith, Gallery Coordinator
A rowboat rests along the water’s edge, and the forest looms in the background. A small deer pauses in the snow. There is a sense of peace that resonates in these and other paintings on exhibit in the Art Gallery at Baltimore Woods Nature Center.
The exhibit, Woodlands and Water: Paintings of Meaningful Places, is a collection of oil paintings by Jamesville artist Diane L. Menzies. The show is currently running through Feb. 27, and the public is invited to view the exhibit in person by pre-registering for a select Monday or Saturday through the website, baltimorewoods.org, or by calling 315-673-1350. A virtual exhibit can be accessed through the website for those who prefer to enjoy the exhibit from home. All the artwork is for sale.
Menzies’s strong passion and knowledge of the natural world is evident in her work. She pairs this with a broad understanding of artistic style and technique. Menzies states, “My artwork utilizes the polarities of light and shadow, color and gesture, to represent an emotional content. Throughout these paintings, I try to rescue and hold a passing moment, in a certain place and time, to create a poetic passage from that experience. Natural elements have always been integral in this process.”
The collection of paintings in the Woodlands and Water exhibit are based on scenes near Menzies’ home and in the Adirondack Mountains. Some are from a meditative paddle on a lake; others, such as “Buck” are from when the deer and crows have visited. The “By the Woodland” scene came into view when Menzies was approaching from the rock-strewn shoreline. In “Through Reeds,” she was passing through the water plants and reeds that grow in the quiet water. During another paddle, she came upon a “White Boat” that had been left at the water’s edge.
While Menzies’ derives her subject matter from her own experiences, it is her intent that viewers bring their own histories and imaginings to each painting.
In this way, each of the images has several different stories to tell.
Menzies is from Syracuse and in 1987, she graduated with distinction from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.
She studied in Florence, Italy and earned a scholarship to study with renowned artist Wayne Thiebaud through the Santa Fe Institute of Fine Arts in New Mexico in 1993.
She has traveled extensively throughout North America and Europe and has taught in both the private and public sectors. She has been an exhibiting artist for more than 20 years with artwork shown, collected and reviewed from New York to California and Italy.
