Join Liz Awalt for a hands-on Workshop in support of her exhibit “As Above, So Below.” This unique opportunity is open to all students, faculty and staff.

During the workshop, Liz will guide participants through a water-based painting or drawing activity, using the tanks in the Girard Marine Science Center as inspiration. The emphasis will be on observing the subjects in their watery environments and allowing the fluidity of the medium to guide expressive, creative directions—just as Liz does in her own work with ink, acrylic, and oil.

About The Exhibit

As Above, So Below is a two-person show featuring the work of painters C. Michael Lewis and Liz Awalt.  A study in contrasting perspectives on our planet, from a starting point of opticality and encompassing both the scientific and the sublime, “As Above, So Below” focuses on artwork by two artists with unique viewpoints on the Earth. The exhibition allows us to imagine our way into alternate sensory environments in a way that opens up a range of emotional and intellectual responses to inhabiting our world. 

C. Michael Lewis‘ “Earthscapes” paintings meticulously describe the earth as seen from above, through the all-seeing eye of Google Earth. The built environment in this context becomes its own organism, mimicking both the analytical drive of mathematics and the entropic decay of an organic system.

Liz Awalt’s practice is based on her observation of the ocean, which frequently occurs beneath the surface of the water.  Liz dives with waterproof paper to create observational drawings from her direct experience with the world beneath the ocean waves. This leads to a keen understanding of environmental changes and the challenges faced by that ecosystem. 

This exhibition is presented in collaboration with UNE’s School of Marine and Environmental Programs, with the guidance of Dr. Charles Tilburg.