SANTA FE, NM.- Penelope Gottlieb has uprooted the tradition of flower painting both formally and thematically. In her Invasive Plants series, Gottlieb appropriates and significantly alters existing digital prints from the John James Audubon archive. Gottlieb depicts the ravages of a contemporary ecological phenomenon wherein non-native species are introduced and overtake the balance of its delicate ecosystem.

This exhibition pairs my concerns and research into vanishing and endangered nature. Invasive species overlap the iconic plates by John James Audubon (himself an increasingly controversial figure) blurring the lines of authorship between his original design and my additional layers of information and historical reference. Beauty and unease coexist. Nature turns against nature.

The title “Still Lives” speaks to the contradiction that these seemingly lively and active birds were in fact taxidermy. — Penelope Gottlieb

Penelope Gottlieb is an Emmy-award winning Motion Picture Title Designer turned fine artist. After receiving her BFA from the Art Center College for Design in Pasadena, California, Gottlieb went on to earn her MFA from the University of California in Santa Barbara where she currently lives and works.

Gottlieb’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums including the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, the Nevada Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her work is included in such private and public collections as The Chicago Art Institute, The National Museum of Wildlife Art, The Whitney Museum of Western Art, and The Palm Springs Museum of Art.