Florida Landscapes at Crealde School of Art

Natural Rhythms/Interlacing Forms: Florida Landscapes by Mollie Doctrow and Lee Dunkel will be on display at the The Crealde School of Art, Winter Park, Fla., through May 26. The exhibition features a variety of the unique landscapes and habitats that can be found in Florida.

“Natural habitats have always been my focus. When I first started out, I liked getting away from it all and going to these more natural places before they were developed. Over time, I’ve begun to focus on the conservation of these areas now through my art. I think it’s important to show people the beauty of natural places and to help create awareness about these areas.”

 

Natural Rhythms/Interlacing Forms: Florida Landscapes
Curator’s Statement

I met Mollie Doctrow some five years ago and was taken with her work from the very beginning. I have always been attracted to the art of woodcut printing because of the examples that I saw from the 1930s. Those woodcut prints often showed a worker toiling in the fields or the factory, and the process of making the print gave power to the subject. I find that same sense of giving the subject power in the work of Mollie Doctrow. The contrast of the image demands attention and that is what Mollie is working towards. Her work has two main purposes, one to have created a beautiful piece of art, and second, to bring to the viewer a feeling that the beauty of the environment is important to preserve. Her prints have both immediate impact for the viewer coming to the piece, and plenty of detail to keep their attention. The work is representational, but has an underlying sense of abstraction at the heart of the vision. With these woodcuts there are really only two tones, and while this contrast gives Mollies’ prints their power, she has also skillfully given a wide range of values to an image. Her work centers on the Everglades, Big Cypress, and most of the South Central part of the state. In those natural environments she finds infinite subject matter and beauty. However, she also finds an environment in danger from the intrusion of man. Mollie wants to show this landscape so that it will be protected and saved not only for future man, but also for the animals and plants which depend on that environment for their very life.

– Rick Lang, Director, Crealdé Photography Department