Patricia and Mary Claire Hogan:

Nature and Nurture will open on Friday,

June 16. These Berkshire natives (mother

and daughter, respectively) look to the

natural world for inspiration in their art.

Marie Claire works primarily in marker

and colored pencil, creating insects on

a larger-than-life scale. Her illustrations

act as a microscope to magnify the splen-

dor of the most populous and diverse

group of living organisms on our planet.

She celebrates the breathtaking beauty of

these strange and fascinating creatures,

which are so often overlooked because

of their size or a misunderstanding of

their importance in sustaining all life

on earth. Pat prefers to work in water-

color for the illusions created through

the transparency and luminescence of

the medium. She focuses on the Berk-

shires, the Maine coast, and Chesapeake

Bay landscapes. The artist views each

landscape as unique, and feels that each

“provides a stunning connection with the

beauty of our earth and wildlife, and the

chaos associated with climate change

and human disregard for sustaining a

healthy planet.”

Pat and Marie Claire both exhibit in

the tri-state area. Pat is also an accom-

plished teacher of drawing and painting,

most recently at IS183/Berkshire Art

Center, for nearly twenty years.