PUTNEY-“Chronicles in Wood,” an exhibition of prints of tree ring cross-sections by Abigail Littlefield, is now on view at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., through Feb 28. An artist reception is planned for Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6:30 p.m.
Littlefield is an artist and longtime science educator whose work bridges botanical study and environmental observation. For more than 30 years, she says, she was a science professor, cultivating a personal fascination with the structures and life histories of plants. A significant head injury reshaped her life, leading her to incorporate art into her rehabilitation process. During recovery, she began creating illustrated field guides to local trees and plants — watercolor was a means to rebuild.
“What began as therapy evolved into a dedicated artistic practice,” wrote organizers in a news release. Littlefield’s early field guide studies developed into detailed botanical watercolors that reflect both scientific precision “and a renewed intimacy with the natural world.”
Most recently, she has been printing tree rings, a process that merges her background in science with her artistic sensibilities. “By translating the temporal records embedded in wood into visual form, she continues to explore the complex stories that trees carry — and the ways art can illuminate them,” organizers said.
Littlefield lives in Westminster West with her partner, four labrador retrievers, a cat, several ducks, a flock of chickens, and lots of honeybees. The show will be open during library hours: Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.