The Natural World

June 12 – August 25, 2023
The Gateway Arts Gallery is proud to present The Natural World, a new exhibition conceived and organized by facilitator Mark Hennon

An Opening Reception will be held on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 from 12-2pm.

Image: Image: Catherine Zhao. Birds and Flowers. 2023. acrylic  on wood panel. 16 x 20 in.

THE NATURAL WORLD

(Is all Around Us)

Alerted by our smart phone that it is time to wake up, get out of our comfortable bed, pour ourselves a cold brew, and briskly walk along the concrete sidewalk towards the sturdily constructed old mill building that houses Gateway Arts, we might imagine that we live in a world entirely controlled by the human. It’s our world. That’s the traditional story. But why not take a moment to throw open the expansive windows that conveniently line the main studio at Gateway and refresh our senses? What do we see? We see the spider in her web, we see the sun, the stars, and the moon. We see the fish and the birds and the mammals. We see the mountains and the deserts, the forests, and the meadows. We see the rain and the lakes, the rivers, and the oceans. We see the natural world. It turns out that the natural world is all around us and it always has been. We are it and it is us. Why not paint a picture to remind ourselves where we truly stand? That’s the project. Let’s do it.

Mark Hennen