Looking for things to do this winter? McKinley West Gallery will be hosting The Surviving Landscape, artwork by Michelle Podgorski for 6 weeks, from December 22nd through January 30th. McKinley Arts and Culture Center is located at 925 Riverside Drive in Reno.
The artwork “explores the flora and fauna in the floodplain of the South Fork River; one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.” According to the artist “there is no doubt that humankind has altered the world outside of our four walls, but rather than our destruction, what I am interested in is the ability plants have to survive.”
Michelle Podgorksi completed her Master’s level Fine Arts education in 2014, from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Prior to that she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, in painting, from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in 2010.
This artwork consists of watercolor paintings of fragments of bark, plants, and trees. “My paintings focus on the natural cycle of death and growth, adaptation and sustainability that is constantly occurring in the natural work despite our interference,” says the artist. According to the City of Reno’s event description, The Surviving Landscape”features watercolors that detail the negative space inherent to plant life that has been pruned by, or for humans.” Podgorski starts outdoors by directly experiencing the altered landscape. She sometimes interacts with her subjects directly by removing bark or adding paper to tree cavities. For more information, check out the the artist’s website.
source: http://www.reno.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/15957/2065
photo source: http://renolaketahoeattractions.com/listingcategory/museum/
