Fallingwater Friday: Conservation in Watercolor
Work of landscape painter Michael Strueber to be exhibited at The Barn at Fallingwater

Perspectives on Western Pennsylvania: Paintings by Michael M. Strueber, running July 24th through September 6th at the newly renovated Barn at Fallingwater, reveals and interprets the rich and diverse landscapes of western Pennsylvania . Working in watercolors, Strueber, a native of Hollidaysburg and member of the Fallingwater Advisory Committee, celebrates, contemplates and generously shares the land he loves. "I paint what I want to understand, and sometimes you don't understand something until you attempt to paint it."

He finds artistic inspiration directly in the natural world, and doesn't work from photographs. Strueber paints the entirety of his landscapes while on the scene itself, so that he can understand the feeling of the place, as well as the look of the place. "When you're painting outside for eight hours a day and chipmunks come and sit on the your feet, you know you're a part of it." For Strueber, the art that grows from this real connection is represented most precisely with watercolor because of its fluidity, drama and easy portability.

"Knowledge and interest in nature has been my singular focus in art. I paint somewhat from a conservationist perspective." In this way, he sees his work meshing nicely with the mission of WPC. "The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy exists for the same reason I paint," says Strueber - "to protect and perpetuate the magnificent beauty of an increasingly endangered landscape." In the process, the artist touches both the reality and the sublime. "My work celebrates life. I am an optimist. I paint for the pure joy of the experience."

Show Hours... The exhibit will be on view Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 24th through September 6th, and will be open to the public free of charge.

Directions... The Barn at Fallingwater is located on the Bear Run Nature Reserve on PA Route 381, between Mill Run and Ohiopyle, just ¼ mile north of the Fallingwater entrance. Parking is conveniently located behind the facility, and can be reached via the entry drive for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Bear Run Nature Reserve.

Additional Information... For general information on the exhibit, the Reserve, or to purchase Fallingwater tour tickets, please telephone 724-329-8501, or visit our website at www.paconserve.org.

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