Nature serves as inspiration for abstract works in Belvedere-Tiburon Library exhibit

The inspiration for Jennifer Francis Fearon’s painting “Natural Optimism 2” came from a photo of light rippling on water.

The Belvedere artist made an engraved print from the photo, using a non-toxic process that included soy-based inks and Japanese paper. This print was then mounted on a wood panel and overpainted with mineral pigments.

For Fearon, 64, painting is a way to “stay present, to notice small movements and moments that might otherwise be missed.”

“My work is really about paying attention to place, to materials and to the subtle forces that connect us to the natural world we live in every day,” she says.

Fearon’s “Natural Optimism 2” is one of 59 works on display from as many Bay Area artists in “Abstracting Nature” at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library. The exhibit, which runs Jan. 15-March 11, showcases paintings, drawings and photographs inspired by nature and reinterpreted as abstractions.

An artists’ reception is set for 6-8 p.m. Jan. 15, and a free ARTtalk with environmental artist David Maisel sharing his abstract paintings and photographs is set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 19.

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