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    Art Review: El Color – ES at Franklin Park Conservatory

    While Blooms & Butterflies gets most of the attention at the Franklin Park Conservatory this time of year, visitors would be doing themselves a great disservice if they failed to stop by the Conservatory’s Cardinal Health Gallery to take in Elena Osterwalder’s current exhibition El Color – ES. 

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    In some respects, this collection of work represents the perfect segue to spring and summer. Browns, ochres and tans live side by side with vibrant reds, warm yellows and occasional splashes of green.

    It’s a near pitch perfect visualization of that particular time of year when nature begins its rebirth and a perfect complement to the Conservatory’s budding grounds.

    Whether or not Osterwalder considered the changing seasons when preparing for this exhibition, we don’t know. What we do know is that her interest in the natural world is real and apparent in every piece. Osterwalder is committed to the use of organic dyes, natural papers and boards, and creative processes that have their roots in pre-Hispanic traditions of Mesoamerica.

    The results are a stunning blend of formal compositions shaped by a decidedly organic approach. The gallery notes share as much, stating that Osterwalder’s dyeing process is, “highly unpredictable, as the natural dyes are affected by chance interactions and atmospheric conditions.” These variables, these unknowns, manifest themselves in a collection of works that reproduce natural shapes, patterns and textures with uncanny precision.

    Elena Osterwalder | Roja / Red | Amate (handmade bark paper) made by the artisans in San Pablito, Pahuatlan, organic dyes | 2016
    Elena Osterwalder | Roja / Red | Amate (handmade bark paper) made by the artisans in San Pablito, Pahuatlan, organic dyes | 2016

    While ostensibly abstractions, Osterwalder employs titles that reference the real world. The monumental Mural Talavera presents hundreds of natural watercolor boards, dyed and displayed in a manner reminiscent of decorative Talavera tiles. Similarly, Noche uses a grayscale tones to evoke the dusky onset of evening. Figures, could be just that, offering viewers a range of abstractions that really do become something like portraits or life drawing sketches through that simple, one word prompt.

    Of course, these formal elements only tell part of the story of Osterwalder’s art. The artist, born in Mexico, explores her personal history through works that center the techniques and traditions of the indigenous people of that country.

    Over the last 20 years, Osterwalder has gone to great lengths to learn the ancient methods for handmade papermaking and natural dyeing. In so doing, she presents us a with a perspective on creativity and creation that’s a far cry from NFTs, AI generated images and a host of other digitally enhanced artworks. Her insistence on an ecologically friendly approach further connects these works to our natural world.

    Osterwalder’s journey then is our reward. El Color – ES is terrific show, one that sparks joy and leads by example. It reflects on our connections to the past, and brings those connections forward, not simply as historical artifacts but as current and contemporary art. In this way, Elena Osterwalder helps us see not just world as it was, but the world as it might be.

    El Color – ES is on view at the Cardinal Health Gallery in the Franklin Park Conservatory through May 29. For more information, visit fpconservatory.org.

    All photos by Jeff Regensburger

    Elena Osterwalder | Mural Talavera | Natural watercolor boards, organic dyes | 2023
    Elena Osterwalder | Mural Talavera | Natural watercolor boards, organic dyes | 2023
    Elena Osterwalder | Leaf / Hoja | Handmade rice paper, organic dyes | 2022
    Elena Osterwalder | Leaf / Hoja | Handmade rice paper, organic dyes | 2022
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    Jeff Regensburger
    Jeff Regensburger
    Jeff Regensburger is a painter, librarian, and drummer in the rock combo The Christopher Rendition. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) from The Ohio State University in 1990 and an Master’s Degree in Library Science from Kent State University in 1997. Jeff blogs sporadically (OnSummit.blogspot.com), tweets occasionally (@jeffrey_r), and paints as time allows.
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