Informed by Nature 
Helene Steene 
Alex K. Mason
Jennifer Roberts
Exhibition Closed November 14, 2021 

 

Helene Steene 

Helene Steene's work reveals the artist's deep understanding of the connections between the various dimensions of nature. From the human form, to the Greek landscape, to her large abstract paintings that take their inspiration from the geometries of the heavens and our world's elemental physicality. 

Steene's work is recognized for its many layered depth, intensity of color, and elegance of surface using classical oil glazes, natural mineral dry pigments, sensuous marble dust textures and metal on wood panels or paper. 

The artist's work has been published, exhibited and collected internationally. Large abstract nature inspired works have been commissioned by universities and hospitals including University of Kentucky and the Mayo Clinic, MN. Steene has won numerous awards including the 2016 CODA Awards Top 100, The World's Best Commissioned Design + Art Projects. 

This retrospective exhibit spans work created during Steene's thirtyfour years in Lexington and includes over 100 of her works from private collections in Kentucky as well as some of her latest pieces.

Alex K. mason

Inspired by and drawn to forms and patterns found in the natural world, Alex K. Mason references flora, fauna and color in paintings on canvas and paper and translates them to textiles and wallpapers. Living in a digital age has fueled her passion for the tactile and warmth of handmade things because they have a story,

a life and history from the person who creates the art as well as the person who possesses and cares for it. 

Mason's work has been exhibited from coast to coast and is in collections around the world including the United State, England, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Dubai. Her fabric and textile designs through her company, Ferrick Mason, have been featured in top design publications including Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, NY Times, and Traditional Home. Mason recently designed fabric and wallpaper especially for The Queen's Gambit Harmon Room in 21c Hotel, Lexington, KY. 

Jennifer Roberts

Jennifer Roberts is a professor of Art History at Harvard University. In class, she thinks about images of nature from the perspective of a historian (she has written books about everything from bird illustration in the 1840s to Land Art in the 1970s). But when she is behind the camera she is able to focus more intimately on the natural world. She began making photographs of the California landscape where she grew up while she was in high school, working in a darkroom in her basement. Now (using her phone camera with a macro lens attachment) she explores the marshy and mossy conservation land around her home outside of Boston.

​

"My response to the spatial and emotional constriction of the pandemic has been to find solace in the expansiveness of tiny natural systems. At some point, when you zoom into the microscopic detail of a natural object, you cross a scale threshold where the world suddenly opens up and breathes again. These photographs were taken over the past year and a half on my daily walks through the wetlands and meadows near my home in Lexington, Massachusetts. I use an iPhone with a small macro lens attachment. Because this equipment is so small and light, I can maneuver it into tight spaces and hold the lens at angles that would not be possible with a "real" camera. I am always surprised at what I find."

Thank You TO Our Generous Exhibit Sponsors 

Presenting Sponsor
Community Trust Bank

Liberty Hill Antiques
Catherine Clay Neal
Mrs. Jacqueline Ohrstrom

Lead Sponsor
Maker's Mark

Elizabeth Boone

Phil DeSimone

Carol Farmer 
Donna Hall
Gail H.Hart & Daniel B. Featherston
Martine Head
Larry Jones
Drs. Joe & Margaret Jones
Jennifer Madden
Celeste M. Neuman
Kasia Pater
Donna Ward
Guthrie & Lisa Zaring

Sponsor
James Motor Company

Gess, Mattingly & Atchison 
Ferrick Mason

Kinkead & Stilz
Shelby & Melodye Kinkead
John & Magdalene Stewart
Milly Ann & John Stewart Charitable Fund
Thoroughbred Antique Gallery

Supporters

John G.Roche Opticians

Lee Oliphant Archambeault
Mr. & Mrs. Tom Bulleit
Carl Meyers Boutique

Marby Schlegel

Stephen Lloyd Webb

The Scout Guide Lexington

John C. Brooks

Stanely Marcinek

Mr. & Mrs. Henry Tutt
Dr. & Mrs. Fred Arnold III

Judy S. Miller

Vess Bennett

Syers Browning

Grimes Mill Winery
Sophisticated Living

Grant Support 
Kentucky Arts Council 

LEXARTS 

LFUCG

.