On Friday, June 2, VNRC will host a reception for Gretchen Alexander in conjunction with Montpelier Art Walk. Alexander’s exhibit, “Fantastic Floodplains”, is a collection of watercolor and acrylic paintings that highlight the importance and beauty of floodplains, sensitive ecosystems that also play a vital role in protecting water quality and mitigating flooding and erosion. Bridging science and art, the show is inspired by her long career as a river ecologist.

Doors will be open to the public from 4:00 to 7:30 pm.  Light refreshments will be served while supplies last. Additional visiting hours for Alexander’s exhibit can be found here, or by appointment. Contact Alex Connizzo, Interim Office Manager, at aconnizzo@vnrc.org for more information.

Artist Biography

Gretchen Alexander draws on over twenty years as a river ecologist to inspire her art.  Primarily working in acrylics and watercolor, her work ranges from representational to conceptual with the common thread of exploring the interconnectedness of the natural world.  As an avid explorer of the outdoors, she enjoys allowing her every-day observations guide her in her artistic process. 

Gretchen grew up surrounded by the artwork of her grandfather, renowned New England landscape painter Emile A. Gruppe, and undoubtedly this has had an influence on her artistic interests and style.  However, her educational background in aquatic ecology also has a strong influence and drives her interest in the intersection of science and the arts, often coming through in her more conceptual and illustrative pieces that aim to convey ideas around natural processes and scales of life.

Learn more at her website – https://www.gretchenalexanderart.com/