The paintings of the Humboldt Bay Landscape Painters invite contemplation and consideration of the environment. Relying on direct observation, the artists use the immediacy of their surroundings to inspire their paintings, which are often painted on location.
As Humboldt County residents, the artists find inspiration through personal connections with the bay and its surrounding environment and express it through their individual painting styles. Andrew Daniel relocated to Arcata from Maine in the 1990s to finish his degree at HSU and has since established himself as a fine arts painter. Daniel enjoys observing Humboldt’s scenery, plants, animals and people and uses them as a source of inspiration and as a way to remain connected to the simplicity of nature. “I have to remind myself to slow down and take in our lovely natural environment, to quiet my mind enough to be receptive to the constant flow of silent stimuli, the beauty of our surroundings. Painting provides me with a vital tool for slowing down.”
Mimi LaPlant, a Marin County, California native, received her MFA in Painting at the University of California, Santa Barbara and was a long time instructor in Art at Humboldt State University. Known primarily as an abstract painter who works in an improvisational, bright and colorful palette, LaPlant’s landscapes disclose many of her observational sources of color. In this show, LaPlant presents a body of acrylic landscape paintings that showcase her stylistic impulse and her strong connection with the natural world.
Kathy O’Leary moved to the area from the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969 and was immediately struck with the natural beauty of Humboldt County. The constantly changing atmosphere, light, and colors of Humboldt Bay create a “visual feast” for O’Leary who says, “Humboldt Bay enriches our lives every day. Where else in this country does so much beauty, richness of culture and nature exist in one place?”
Born and raised in the area, Stock Schlueter has always been familiar with the attraction of Humboldt County. “I always loved the adventure of discovery and finding new places. Plein air (outdoor) painting involves all of these things I loved so much as a youth.” Beginning his career as a watercolor painter, Schlueter began showing in local galleries in the early 1970s. He started working with oil paints in 1985 and since then his work has been featured nationally in galleries in Washington D.C., Indiana, Ohio, Washington, Oregon and California.
Humboldt Bay Landscape Painters is produced by students in Humboldt State’s Art Museum and Gallery Practices Program. A public reception for the artists will take place October 4 during Eureka Main Street’s monthly Arts Alive event. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m. at 422 First Street, Eureka, California. Admission is free. Those planning group tours are encouraged to call ahead at (707)-443-6363. To learn more, visit the gallery online at www.humboldt.edu/first.