In early summer, I was thrilled to get an invitation from June Waters, the Director of Exhibitions at Lake George Arts Project, to not only display a piece in a small group exhibition but also to invite another artist to exhibit alongside me, along with 10 other artist pairs. The only requirement was that the works had to be nature inspired.

This was an exhibition to my knowledge that seemed a first of its kind, it was no surprise that it came from June. June has expertly led numerous arts initiatives in our region and has been a committed innovator in arts programming. I was delighted to participate and excited to see who else I would be sharing the space with.

Selecting a fellow artist was difficult because I am fortunate to be part of a large art community filled with artists I respect and admire, many of whom also concentrate on nature. After much thought however, one name stood out to me: the work of my friend Laura Cannamela. Laura and I first crossed paths when I was the former curator at LARAC's Lapham Gallery, although she recently reminded me that we might have actually met at Albany Center Gallery. Regardless, I've come to realize that when the details of how I met someone are unclear, it's often a sign that I've formed a strong friendship. Over the years we have bonded over our love of paper, experiments with glue, and, of course, nature.

I truly admire Laura's work. As I mentioned to June, I completely immerse myself in the nuances of her paper selection and the way Laura layers the papers to mirror the curves and forms of the landscape. They are incredibly captivating, and as an enthusiast of materials and processes, her works fascinate me every time. I also felt that, despite the differences between our artworks in look, there is a natural synergy between our works and processes, as both reflect the transformation of material alongside inspiration from the landscape.

Artists Invite Artists: It's in Our Nature was a resounding success and I was honored to show alongside:

Katie DeGroot - Emilie Clark

Ali Herrmann - Mallory Zondag

Serena Kovalosky - Terry Teitelbaum

Charlene Leary - Kathy Kelley

Paul Mauren - Jeanne Flanagan

Joy Muller-McCoola - Robin Brewer

Victoria Palermo - Melinda Kiefer Santiago

Diane Swanson - Katie Langford

Rebecca Smith - Fawn Krieger and Jörg Jacoby

Laura Von Rosk - Luis Castro

Given the large interest and support this exhibition drew, in the future I'm sure we'll be seeing more iterations at other fellow arts organizations in the region. That's my hunch any way and I hope so, as it was such a great idea.

Director's Exhibition Statement:

The artworks in this exhibition pay homage to both the intricacies of nature as muse and the diverse range of artistic interpretations. Eleven artists chose artists whose work aligns with the incorporation of nature as a subject, and, frequently, as a medium.

The artists use words such as fluid, regenerative, porous, and fragile to describe works constructed with wool, wood, live succulents, and fungus.

Images of the exhibition, photographed by the talented Jim Mclaughlin