FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (RIDGELY, MD—FEBRUARY 12, 2008)

ADKINS ARBORETUM 2008 ART COMPETITION ON VIEW THROUGH MARCH 28—DISCOVER THE WILD LANDSCAPES OF THE COASTAL PLAIN

This year’s Art Competition at Adkins Arboretum brings together an impressive mix of paintings, photographs, ceramics and sculpture created by 22 artists. The show is on view through March 28, with the public invited to a reception on Saturday, February 23 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Titled Discover the Wild Landscapes of the Coastal Plain, this show provides a window to the natural world. Expansive landscapes are juxtaposed against detailed studies of shells, branches silhouetted against a winter backdrop and light-dappled marsh grasses. The show glories in light; whether expressed by rosy clouds or melting sunsets, the artwork is a perfect antidote to the doldrums of winter.

This year’s competition was juried by John H. Ruppert, sculptor and chair of the University of Maryland Art Department. Ruppert’s works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally and can be viewed at the Grimaldi Gallery in Baltimore and 8 Modern in Santa Fe.

While the final show is diverse, Ruppert’s careful choices and the contest’s unifying theme work together harmoniously. The acrylic “When Grasses Dream,” by Greensboro artist Jody Primoff, calms the viewer with a muted palette of greens, blues and indigos. Grasses are also featured in St. Michaels artist Carol Cathcart’s photograph “Marsh Grass,” which captures the swells of a meadow where deer might rest come nightfall. 

Several of the pieces in the show provide glimpses of the Arboretum itself. The naked branches of Rockville artist Juliana Netschert’s “Water in the Woods: Umber” highlight the forest in winter, while Robert Forloney of St. Michaels uses digital photography in “Blockston Branch 2” to layer bare trees with the ripples of a creek bottom. 

The winner of the contest’s first-prize Leon Andrus Award, Rob Brownlee-Tomasso of Denton, literally embraces Adkins Arboretum by using earth from the Arboretum to create the trunk of a river birch within his angular, free-form canvas entitled “Beyula Coronata.” The golden wings of a yellow-rumped warbler, done in acrylic, provide a splash of color against a moody background of grays, browns and dark blues.

In contrast to the primarily dark palette of “Beyula Coronata,” second-place winner Deena Ball’s watercolor “Man’s Imprint” is a light and airy piece in which early morning light is reflected in a cerulean pool fringed with grasses and a distant copse of trees. Do the bright brushstrokes belie a more threatening message suggested by the painting’s title? The artist, a Pennsylvania native, gives her viewer much to think about.

The one sculpture featured in the show, “Howler” by James Hatley, Professor of Philosophy at Salisbury University, is formed in large part from a single fallen branch of red maple downed in a tropical storm that hit Maryland in 2006. Hatley explains, “In sculpting my artworks, I have become, whether I will it or not, sculpted in turn by trees and so a witness to them.” “Howler” is sure to mesmerize viewers with its clever “exchange of wood and animal voice.”

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through March 28 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410-634-2847 ext. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. Through its Campaign to Build a Green Legacy, the Arboretum will build a new LEED-certified Arboretum Center and entranceway to broaden educational offerings and research initiatives promoting best practices in conservation and land stewardship. For additional information about Arboretum programs, visit www.adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.