Joan Matzdorf's landscape paintings and more are on display at the state Capitol

"Landscapes and More"
Governor's Gallery, state Capitol
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
through Dec. 26
free
521-2931, www.arts.ok.gov

Born to a mother and father who were both avid painters, Joan Matzdorf knew art was in her blood, and has found joy in it throughout her life.

The Tulsa native travels extensively, taking her paints with her wherever she goes, she said. Rather than simply loving painting because it makes her feel good, art is much more of an innate component of her life.

"I was born with an artistic brain," Matzdorf said. "It all comes to me naturally. I think it's something that just runs in the family."

With the application of en plein air, a technique that captures the natural qualities of outdoor scenes through their relation to the sunlight, the artist has compiled a collection of works that boasts the likes of Colorado backdrops and mountain ranges.

The exhibit, "Landscapes and More," is featured at the second-story Governor's Gallery in the state Capitol through Dec. 26. Comparable to French Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Matzdorf utilizes her paints and brushes to capture light on canvas "? a task she said cements her station as a colorist.

"Mother Nature has such beautiful colors in it," she said. "That's one of the things about being painter: You get to see so many of the different colors that God put into a single object."

The state Capitol galleries are free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 521-2931 or visit www.arts.ok.gov. "?Ta'Chelle Jones

above "Morning Waterlilies"

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