Local Artist’s Paper Sculpture Country Garden Retreat Featured in Strathmore Gallery Show

Melinda Fabian’s 18-foot piece will be the focal point of Paper Works: The Art of Paper at the Mansion at Strathmore

BEL AIR, Md., Sept. 8, 2020 — Local Bel Air, Maryland, paper sculptor and illustrator Melinda Fabian will be the featured artist at a new exhibit opening at the Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda from Tuesday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Oct. 31. The show, Paper Works: The Art of Paper, brings together 11 paper artists who use paper as the focal point in their creations, including Fabian’s large-scale paper sculpture installation.

Titled “Charming Victorian Country Garden Retreat,” viewers of Fabian’s 18-foot installation in the Paper Works show can expect an idyllic setting just outside a country cottage that reminds us of a simpler time. The piece is one in a series of Fabian’s habitat sculptures, which capture the simplicity, joy and beauty of simple moments in time often taken for granted.

“While ‘Charming Victorian Country Garden Retreat’ is made out of paper and paint, it is my hope this habitat will remind us of the importance of creating real spaces in our lives that can be our safe haven,” Fabian said of the installation. “I want my work to create an opportunity for viewers to reflect on the healing power in our everyday intersections with nature.”

Visitors to the retreat are welcomed into a serene setting with a beautiful garden framed by wisteria, roses and tulips. The family pets play on the front porch where the wicker table is set with exquisite afternoon snacks. Hidden creatures, like ladybugs, a praying mantis and a chipmunk inhabit the scene for those who look carefully. Fabian’s installation combines hand-sculpted paper elements painted in gouache and watercolor to bring them to life.

Paper Works: The Art of Paper was curated by Lesley Lundgren, Strathmore’s director of exhibitions. Other artists featured in the show include Kate Norris, Ashely Chiang, Gina Gwen Palacios, Daniel Lai, Marylouise Roach, Rosa Leff, Leigh Suggs, Lucrezia Beerli-Bieler, Jennifer Deppe Parker, and Ronni Jolles.

The Mansion is operating with new hours, along with extra COVID-19 safety precautions. Several virtual events will be held throughout the show’s run, so keep an eye on the show’s website. Learn more at https://www.strathmore.org/mansion

About Melinda Fabian, Illustrator

Award-winning illustrator Melinda Fabian creates realistic yet whimsical art designed to bring families together. Melinda’s signature work features paper sculpture designs, which seamlessly blend three-dimensional, hand-sculpted paper elements and watercolor and gouache illustrations to create lifelike scenes. Her imaginative designs literally jump off the page — the swish of a cat’s furry tail or a busy bee’s landing — causing viewers to do a double take upon realizing they’re not just flat paintings. Melinda’s paper sculpture illustrations have won several awards in galleries across the United States. She also created an award-winning line of Can You Find?® hidden object greeting cards, games and jigsaw puzzles as the creative director for the company she previously co-founded, Rocking Chair Studio. Melinda has more than 35 years of experience as an illustrator, freelancing for magazines and publishing companies, and holds a bachelor’s degree in communication design from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.

About Strathmore

Strathmore presents and produces exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; creates dynamic arts education experiences; and nurtures creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts. The Mansion at Strathmore is located at 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD, one half-mile north of the Capital Beltway and immediately adjacent to the Grosvenor-Strathmore station on Metro’s Red Line. For further information or tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

Contact

Melinda Fabian, melinda@melindafabian.com

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