(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Reeves-Reed Arboretum in collaboration with their current exhibiting artist, Pamela Casper, is welcoming the public to two Artist Talks in the coming weeks.  On Tuesday, August 17 at 4:00pm, artists and painting enthusiasts are invited into the gardens at the Arboretum where Casper will share and demonstrate how she connects to nature and to place through her practice of Plein Air painting.  Guests will observe how to simplify and attain a fresh, emotive painting from the vast landscape.  After the demonstration, visitors can join Casper in the Wisner House Gallery for a guided tour of her exhibit, EARTHSCAPES: Emerging to a Brighter Tomorrow, as well as a Q&A session.  A rain date for this event has been scheduled for Thursday, August 19 at 4:00pm.

Join Casper again on Sunday, September 12 at 2:00pm for a “Talk and Walk” through the rooms of her Arboretum exhibit.  “When Executive Director, Jackie Kondel invited me to show at the Wisner House Gallery at Reeves-Reed Arboretum, she gave me a great opportunity to share the range of nature-oriented work I have produced over the past twelve years.  During this event, I will discuss my shifting focus on nature within this exhibit.  The story begins with the direct observation paintings, represented by Plein Air Watercolors in the foyer.  I will talk about what inspired my imagined landscapes and use of the 'Tornado' metaphor.  I will reveal how the installation of wire sculptures connects to the paintings.  And finally, why my painting techniques changed when I began to paint imagined underground landscapes of the diverse living world below the roots of trees and plants.”

The exhibit EARTHSCAPES: Emerging to a Brighter Tomorrow is showing in the Wisner House Gallery at Reeves-Reed Arboretum through October 31 and is open daily 10:00am to 4:00pm. 

Both Artist Talks are free and open to the public.  Registration is recommended as space is limited.  Reeves-Reed Arboretum is located at 165 Hobart Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. 

Celebrating over 40 years as a historic public garden and education resource, Reeves-Reed Arboretum engages, educates and enriches the public through horticulture and environmental education, and the care and utilization of the gardens and estate. Open 7 days a week, the Arboretum is listed on both the National and New Jersey State Historic Registers. Funding for RRA has been made possible in part by the NJ Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Dept. of Parks & Community Renewal.