October 7th – October 28th, 2016

The Strand Center for the Arts was very excited to host painter Donna Austin in the Community Gallery in October, 2016.

 Austin is a Plattsburgh resident, and throughout her life has been an educator, silversmith, and painter, working with watercolor, oil, and acrylic paints to create her two dimensional images. Those images mostly represent scenes from on and around Lake Champlain where she spends countless hours boating, kayaking, and swimming. It is these paintings which will form her exhibit, transporting the viewer to the shores or the surface of the lake, her muse.

 Concerning this exhibit, Austin stated that, “As a watercolor artist, I develop the sense of being in the scene with the feel of the rushing air from the bird’s wings or the spray of water from the tip of a wave. I put you in the scene.” She went on to say, “My work consists of mostly lake scenes; water, boats, and animals found on or around our beautiful Lake Champlain. Sometimes I like to paint these things as they are, and sometimes I like to give them a little twist—something unexpected. My hope is that the viewer can feel present in the painting.”

 “Donna’s paintings capture the essence of what it is to live along the lake,” stated Museum Coordinator, David Monette. “It is light and airy and executed with consummate skill, a truly wonderful collection of work to have in our gallery.”