A wildflower seed bomb bicycle tour to help beautify Benson will climax this fall at the little gallery with an exhibit by printer/painter Lori Elliott-Bartle.
The aptly titled Ramble, opening October 2 from 6-9 p.m., features paintings and handmade prints by the artist inspired by the prairie.
As part of her interest in preserving and restoring prairies, Elliott-Bartle would like to see a lot more native plants in the urban core and offers this creative show as her way to help make it happen. And, she said, it’s her way of coping in a challenging environment.
“Walking through waves of swaying grasses and spotting blooms of yellow, purple and white makes me feel at home,” she says on her Facebook page. “Slowing down this year and spending more time at home has allowed memories to emerge and has created space to consider ideas and pursue meaningful activities.
“Celebrating the prairie, these paintings and handmade prints are inspired by colors and textures found in our native and restored grasslands. None are meant to be botanically accurate, but aim to evoke the motion and openness of wide meadows filled with flowers and grasses.”
All the work in Ramble is made with oils mixed with cold wax, a combination that that allows the artist to “create paintings that hold depth, complexity and texture, some of the same qualities about the prairie that I appreciate.”
Though the works on paper are mostly figurative, some are more personal and conceptual, just another opportunity for Elliott-Bartle to Ramble.
“Other pieces take the colors and textures into more abstract directions and are connected to subconscious and emotional states experienced while painting without specific direction, offering another way of wandering.”
Ramble runs through Oct. 31 at the little gallery, 5901 Maple Street. Regular hours are Thursday and Friday from 1 to 5pm, Saturday from 10am to 1pm and by appointment. For more information, call 402.681.1901.