Campbell, Ward, Newman, and Ciancibelli—Four Views of Nature Responses to the environment—in dramatically different media—populate Confluence Gallery this fall in a show that opens on Saturday, September 27. The exhibit, curated by Theresa Miller, brings together some of the premier talents in the Methow—oil painter Caryl Campbell, metal artist Steve Ward, and glass artists Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciancibelli. Campbell, in her continuing observations of the natural world and, in particular, her obsession with birds, is building on the journal-based art project she calls “Natural History Notebooks.” Her canvases—simulated journal pages—feature birds, bones, and flowers and incorporate poems and other writings. Campbell juxtaposes her exquisite subject matter with a frustration and regret about the increasing distance between people and the natural world and their loss of curiosity about it. “I am disturbed that so many people have no clue what is living beyond the cement they surround themselves with,” she said. “These works are meant to be noticed.” Steve Ward explores and exploits the aesthetic qualities of metal—its flinty tactile properties and its slightly iridescent shimmer—in paintings and furniture that he crafts from steel and other metals. Although he works in a medium with industrial roots, Ward is also profoundly interested in and influenced by the natural world. Rendered in earth-toned pigments, Ward’s paintings hover between abstraction and representation, but their grounding in nature is clear, whether in layered landscapes or flower and plant images. Some of his paintings are more geometric, suggesting architecture and the built environment. Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciancibelli create work in blown glass that grows out of their interactions with the Methow environment. Most are sculptural pieces based on landscapes and on an expression of community. “We have been creating sculpture based on the idea of reviving old knowledge and ways of working in better harmony with nature,” they said. Their art includes multi-media sculptures that combine blown glass with cultural remnants, such as old farm machinery or reclaimed lumber, that explore their relationship with nature and the enduring stories of the land. Delicate surface designs and textures are suggestive of undulating mountains, water, and the movement of grasses in the wind. The four artists are also collaborating on a piece, assembled on a tall scaffolding created by Ward with niches for Newman and Ciancibelli’s glass sculptures and Campbell’s bird paintings on steel. The show runs through November 8, with an opening reception on Saturday, September 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. Confluence is on Glover Street in Twisp.