Invasive Species Penelope Gottlieb’s series Invasive Species is playing upon the theme of John James Audubon’s commodification of the natural world via his marketing of prints, reflecting the consumption of nature prevalent in the social attitudes of the 19th century. Painting directly over preexisting Audubon prints, Gottlieb envelops the wildlife in a tightly woven braid of plant leaves, tendrils and tentacles, so that what would normally be part of the creatures’ natural habitat has suddenly turned on them as a form of domestic colonization. The resulting visual “mash-up” of historical representation of nature with the consequences of nonnative invasive species of plant-life overpowering their environment create a form of contemporary historical discourse. Gottlieb’s direct mark making and painting on the found prints function as an additional “invasive” species, thus raising implicit issues of power/knowledge in relation to systems of classification in addition to her more explicit ecological critique.
Penelope Gottlieb Tropaiolum majus
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 60 x 40 in. Painted in 2014 8058
Penelope Gottlieb
Carduus nutans
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 60 x 40 in. Painted in 2014 8057
Penelope Gottlieb Arundo donax
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 38 x 25 1/2 in. Painted in 2014 8059
Penelope Gottlieb
Lathyrus latifolius
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 38 x 25 1/2 in. Painted in 2014 8060
Penelope Gottlieb Rosa multiflora
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 38 x 25 1/2 in. Painted in 2014 8061
Penelope Gottlieb Lythrum salicaria
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 23 x 17 in. Painted in 2012 6988
Penelope Gottlieb Paederia foetida
Acrylic and Ink over Audubon Print 23 x 17 in. Painted in 2012 6989
Extinct Botanicals Extinct Botanicals showcase a unique synthesis of Penelope Gottlieb’s modern graphic design background and the vintage botanical renderings of natural scientists. However, her paintings are also unique in their perspective on the traditional floral still life. Stylized flora and fauna are depicted as emanating from a comic book explosion, illustrating what the artist refers to as “the dire state of the planet” as faced with species extinction and the resulting biological and ecological ramifications. These violent representations of the artistically typified placid natural world are intended as “visual eulogies for lost plant life.” The particular specimens that Gottlieb depicts are in fact extinct and she is able to recreate them only from historical drawings and botanist’s descriptions. Gottlieb’s paintings ultimately serve as acknowledgments of brutally lost nature, but simultaneously capture the power of the imagination and a hope for renewal.
Penelope Gottlieb Crudia zeylanica
Acrylic and ink on panel 50 x 40 in. Painted in 2012 6109
Penelope Gottlieb Betula Szaferi
Acrylic, ink, and oil on canvas panel 50 x 40 in. Painted in 2014 7844
Penelope Gottlieb Byttneria Ivorensis
Acrylic and ink on canvas 40 x 28 in. Painted in 2013 6539
Penelope Gottlieb Argocoffeopsis lemblinii Acrylic on paper 60 x 40 in. Painted in 2013 6625
Penelope Gottlieb
Micranthemum micranthemoides Watercolor, Ink and Acrylic on paper 16 x 12 in. Painted in 2010 4738
Penelope Gottlieb Achyranthes atollensis
Acrylic and ink on aluminum over panel 58 x 47 x 1 1/2 in. Painted in 2013 6898
Penelope Gottlieb Valerianella affinis
Acrylic and ink on aluminum over panel 72 x 100 in. Painted in 2013 8062
45188 Portola Avenue Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-346-8926 PO Box 3580 172 Center Street Suite 101 Jackson, WY 83001 307-200-6090 jim@heatherjames.com www.heatherjames.com