Description
Lanesboro Arts presents “Small Treasures: Art of a Botanist,” an exhibit of oil paintings by Sara Lubinski. The exhibit runs through May 28, 2017. Always free and open to the public, the Lanesboro Arts Gallery is open six days a week through May (Tuesday-Sunday).
For oil painter Sara Lubinski, the Mississippi River Blufflands contain potential landscapes at every scale; this exhibit features the intimate beauty of small landscapes and the treasures they reveal: the delicate patterns of a moss-covered rock, the textured bark of a hickory tree, a butterfly in a sunlit meadow, the prairie flower blooming in April, and other small, and often rare, wonders of our region.
“Small Treasures” is about changing scales and focusing on the smaller things Lubinski notices each day and has always wanted to paint. She hopes to raise awareness of how much there is to see and appreciate if we take the time to slow down and observe what is literally under our feet. Lubinski believes in Robert Henri’s perspective that artists should be the people who record the unnoticed adventures underlying the routine of our everyday world.
Always an artist, Lubinski’s 2004 return to the craft followed a period of working as a botanist. Her science career included time spent learning about the nature of the Mississippi River and many of our national parks. The beauty of these landscapes catalyzed her transition back to the easel. She loves weaving the threads of science and art together, resulting in deeply expressive paintings of the natural world. “When I paint, I strive to free my spirit, observant and meditative, to reflect my endless appreciation of the natural world,” she says.
Her favorite approach is to paint outdoors or ”en plein air.” Painting en plein air is compelling to her because she reaches a deep level of awareness and connection to her surroundings while at the easel. She seeks not just the creation of beauty, but the essential functions of art: exploring the mysteries of the world, searching for meaning, becoming enlightened, wise, and whole, and in turn, sharing her sense of awe and place in the world with others.
Lubinski lives in a log cabin in southeastern MN with her husband Ken, her Aussies Red and Blue, and two cats. Five years ago she left her position as a botanist with the federal government to study painting full-time.
This exhibit is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. For more information visit www.lanesboroarts.org, call 507-467-2446 or email gallery@lanesboroarts.org. The exhibition gallery is handicapped accessible and is located at 103 Parkway Avenue North in Lanesboro.