Spring-2023

SHORT CUTS EVENT “Flora Fauna,” a stunning exhibit currently on display at MMA, is a collaboration between two accomplished local artists, Elizabeth Barlow and Susan Manchester. A rtists Elizabeth Barlow and Susan Manchester work in adjacent studios at Carmel’s Church of the Wayfarer. While the friends produce art that’s distinct in style, they start with a mutual appreciation for the natural world. That awe shapes their work in “Flora Fauna,” a Monterey Museum of Art exhibition open through April 16th. The display spotlights Barlow’s larger-than-life flower portraits and Manchester’s mixed-media drawings of detailed bird wings and blossoms. The exhibition also incorporates nature-themed works from the museum’s permanent collection, including art by David Ligare, Mark Adams, Wayne Thiebaud and others. By elevating the structure and singular beauty of each subject, the Carmel artists invite viewers to reflect on what’s beyond the surface. “If we really stop and look at these things with reverence, it will affect not just how we view them, but how we view each other and how we view ourselves as stewards of this planet,” Barlow says. She sees the collaboration as a natural exten- sion of the bonds that she and Manchester share. “Our studios are in this historic church. We look out on the same garden. We feel like there’s a golden thread that runs through the gardens, through our windows and through the wall. It connects us,” she says. For more information, visit www.montereyart.org or call 831/372-5477. Nature Shines in Joint Monterey Museum of Ar t Exhibition B Y R ENE E B R I NCK S 62 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 Photo: Rick Pharaoh