Darien, CT - This February, the Geary Gallery of Darien presents “Lussier: Poetry en Plein Air” featuring the exquisite outdoor landscapes of New England painter and Connecticut resident Barbara Lussier. Her exhibit runs February 2 – 27 at the Geary Gallery located at 576 Boston Post Road in Darien.
Featured Artist, February: Barbara Lussier
Lussier is a philosophically direct descendant of the Old Lyme and the Hudson River School of painters, and approaches her subjects in a way that embraces these traditions—honoring nature and working from direct observation. Her landscapes explore the romance of color and light and have been described as “poetry.”
The daughter of a consummate fisherman and boater, Lussier experienced the mysteries and wonders of the sea while roaming the coastline of Nahant, Massachusetts as a child. She followed her father to the warmer waters of Florida, where he fished and boated.
While there, she attended the Ringling School of Art, and later, she explored the South Pacific coastline, where she was sometimes dropped by helicopter on uninhabited islands to paint pink rocks and turquoise waters.
Currently, Lussier lives in Pomfret, Connecticut. She is a signature member of the New England Plein Air Painters group, and was elected to the Hudson Valley Art Association and the Rockport Art Association. She is also an elected by jury member of the Academic Artists Association and the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts.
Her work was chosen for the Springfield Art Museum Academic Art Association Invitational Exhibition in September 2010. She has served as curator for The New England Landscape Invitational Show at the Lyme Art Association for several years, as well as the Rockport Art Association membership jury. Her work is published in Great Day Trips to Connecticut’s Critical Habitats.
She has also taught plein air painting privately and through various educational institutions, including the Lyme Art Association, where she is an elected member and served as President of the Board of Directors.
Lussier’s work has been exhibited throughout New England and internationally. She was selected by the U.S. Department of State to represent the United States in Taipei, China at the American Embassy, and is represented in a number of corporate and private collections. Lussier has amassed numerous awards, including the Painting Award from the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, the Award for Excellence in Painting from the Rockport Art Association, and the Painting Award from the Academic Artists Association and the Sylvan Gallery.
Lussier received the Isabella W. Steinschneider Award at the Hudson Valley Art Association’s 2009 Annual Show. Her painting, Chasing the Light, was awarded Top 15 percent distinction by the Jury for the August and September 2009 Fine Art Views painting competition.
Other notable distinctions include: Snow Light in Vermont was awarded first place at the 2011 Tolland Art Center Exhibition; Morning Fog received second place at the Monson Art Association; Storm Passing won Best in Show and Harbor Lights received a Director’s Award in 2013. Her work is shown in galleries and is in private collections in the U.S. and abroad.
To view Lussier’s work, visit Geary's online gallery: http://www.gearygallery.com/?artists=barbara-lussier
The Barbara Lussier exhibit runs February 2 – 27, and her paintings are available for acquisition. All are welcome, and admission is free.
Geary Gallery is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located at 576 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820. For more information, call (203) 655-6633 or visit www.gearygallery.com.