Nurturing Nature, a retrospective of Maureen Banner’s paintings,

opens July 15. Banner is an accomplished potter, sculptor, jeweler, and

business person. Additionally, she is also well known in the community as a

masterful gardener. Her profile as a painter is less well-known, although

she has exhibited paintings in various group exhibits at the Knox Gallery. 

The artist’s creative talents cross-pollinate and feed each other so

much that it can be difficult to distinguish where one starts and the next

stops. In no instance is this more obvious than in this collection of her

paintings from nature, which combine her garden, the local environment,

and her interpretations of her surroundings. While her viewing audience

easily observes and admires her accomplishments she generally

downplays her expertise, possibly because of her facility with all the

disciplines she has pursued.