When I was young, my family and I would take turns reading chapters out of Gene Stratton Porter novels on family road trips. With characters like Elnora, a girl who hunts for rare moths in bottomland woods, and Freckles, a boy who protects trees from lumber bandits in old growth forests, her novels provided a healthy dose of flora and fauna for the nature obsessed kid. Gene was a dedicated naturalist with a poetic appreciation for the natural world, and she imbued a love for Hoosier ecology into all of her stories. This year I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Indiana State Museum and the Indiana Arts Commission to create an exhibit called The Artist-Naturalist, featuring the work of two female artists with a passion for Indiana ecology— Porter and myself. During the first half of the project I had the enjoyable task of immersing myself in Gene’s world, following in her footsteps through the Limberlost Swamp in Geneva, Indiana, and re-reading her books to gather inspiration for my paintings. The ensuing months were spent in the studio creating a series of fifteen watercolors, each based on a quote from one of Gene's written works. The paintings and quotes hung in the exhibit The Artist-Naturalist which traveled between the Limberlost State Historic Site and the Gene Stratton Porter State Historic Site from June to December, 2019. Here is a selection of paintings and quotes from the exhibit along with a video that was created to explain the project and process behind the work:
6 Comments
4/3/2020 05:50:00 pm
I think you are SO TALENTED! Gene Stratton Porter’s books, especially The Girl of The Limberlost, Freckles, & Laddie were my absolute favorites growing up. Your tribute is wonderful. Thank you!!!!
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Alex
4/5/2020 02:37:16 pm
Thanks Nancy! It looks like we had the same taste in books growing up! It was a lot of fun getting lost in Gene’s world while I was working on this project. I’m so glad you like the result!
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George Welch
4/23/2023 05:41:10 am
Alex, what a wonderful look “behind the curtain”. Such a treat for an unabashed fanboy of your work like myself.
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Alex
5/4/2023 12:50:47 pm
Thanks so much, George! I really appreciate the kind words. This project was definitely one of my recent career highlights!
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Beautiful work and I love the project. A friend shared your work in a community of mothers who are teaching their children to love the arts. We use art, music, poetry, storytelling and nature to create fertile soil for years of learning to come. These mothers read from a free on-line collection of books, including Gene Stratton-Porter. We are a community of mothers who know and love Freckles, A Girl of the Limberlost, Laddie, The Harvester and Keeper of the Bees. Thank you for this lovely connection of your art and Ms. Porter's stories and quotes. I would love to see the entire project someday. Thank you again.
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Alex
9/9/2023 11:23:55 am
Hi Lori! I’m so glad you like the Gene Stratton Porter series! Your community of mothers who focus on arts and nature sounds like a community I would have loved to grow up in as a kid. Gene Stratton Porter’s work is a perfect blend of the two! Thanks again for the kind words!
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