los padres national forest

Strasburg Studio Archives: Multiplicity

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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

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M U L T I P L I C I T Y

DECEMBER SPOTLIGHT : A grid for every occasion.
Sea & Sky images 14 x14" (x4)
completed 2023
Forest & Meadow images 12 x 12" (x4) completed 2018
oil on cradled birch panels.

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Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio. 

From top right to left: Thin Blue Line, Uprush, A Bit of Perspective, Aloha Skies, 14x14” oil on cradled birch panel.

During the holidays, a time of celebration and joy, we are often surrounded by family. "Family" is such a rich and meaningful word, encompassing countless forms and connections. Artists often group their work in families to explore and express a single idea or experience, coming together to tell a story of both nature and time.

For December’s spotlight, I’m sharing two families of images: one collection capturing the vastness of sky and sea, another reflecting time spent in the national forest.

Each painting in a family is a fragment—a single piece of a larger, ever-evolving whole. On their own, each offers a glimpse, a moment frozen in time. But when viewed together, they form a bigger picture—one that is richer and more complex. Just as individual experiences, moments, and memories come together to shape our understanding of a place, these smaller works work in tandem to create a deeper, more layered narrative.

In the same way a single brushstroke may seem simple but contributes to the full composition, each fragment of the landscape—the shifting light, the changing colors, the patterns of the land—adds its voice to the larger story. It’s in the relationships between these pieces, the way they echo and contrast with one another, that the true feeling of a place emerges.

The fragments, when brought together, reveal something more than any one piece could alone, reminding us that the whole can often be greater than the sum of its parts. Through this process, I’m able to explore the depth and complexity of nature, offering a fuller, richer experience for both myself as the creator and for you, the viewer.

With this ninth installment of the archives newsletter, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and respond. I wish you great joy and laughter this holiday season and a very happy start to the new year. xo

los padres national forest oil paintings

From top left to right: Cold Snap, Spring Thaw, Fall Hike, Sunlit Meadow - 12x12”, oil on birch panel.

The selection of ocean/sky images (14x14" each) were completed for my most recent solo show "Surfacing" at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara 2023. I love the new larger size for the grid and continue to add to this collection of sea worthy images.

The selection of mountain images (12x12" each) were completed in late 2018. I was in the process of building a new exhibit for Sullivan Goss at that time but life got in the way and when I returned to my easel my heart had turned back to the sea. This good size collection from the Los Padres Forest still resides in my studio growing in size. One day there will be a spectacular display of this congregation of trees amassing in my studio.

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 Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

 One treasure. One story. Once a month.


I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.

Strasburg Studio Archives: Fall Pine-ing

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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

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F A L L P I N E - I N G

OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT: "Fall Mountain Lake"
14 x 36", oil on birch panel, 2022 - 2024.

Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio. 

Fall Mountain Lake, 14 x 36”, oil on birch panel.

Recently, a friend sent me a link to an “art bot” which will churn out a description of a selected artwork when you upload an image. For this month’s spotlight, I thought I would enlist the help of the AI generated analysis. It’s weird and fun and unnerving all at the same time.

“This artwork is an evocative landscape painting capturing a serene natural scene dominated by rich greens and yellows. The composition features a foreground of reflective water, with a lush middle ground of trees in the peak of their autumnal glory, characterized by vibrant yellow leaves


The use of color in this piece is particularly striking. The artist has masterfully employed a range of greens and yellows to convey the season's warmth and the lushness of the foliage. The reflections in the water are rendered with particular finesse, subtly capturing the mirrored image of the trees and adding depth to the scene. The brushstrokes are deliberate yet fluid, indicating a proficient control of technique that brings a sense of movement and life to the painting.

One of the strengths of this artwork lies in its ability to evoke a serene and contemplative mood. The choice of an autumnal color scheme imbues the scene with a sense of nostalgia and tranquility, inviting the viewer to pause and reflect as though they are standing by the water's edge themselves.”

The bot offers a surprisingly accurate description and even manages to touch the deeper nuances of mood, movement, and atmosphere within the work. Yet, what it can’t know is my motivation for painting this image or what my personal connection is to this place and time.  

Fall in the mountains was always a miraculous experience. Our property had myriad tree species that put on a stunning color parade from late September through early December. The sugar pine, with its coral glory, was the first to change, followed by a small grove of aspen that transitioned from limey green to rich golden fluttery leaves. Blue spruce trees mingled with the warm foliage, and a red pin oak capped off the season with fiery crimson leaves. 

Autumn is a much quieter affair on the coast of California, which is why I find myself missing our mountain retreat more each year. Still, I revisit the glorious moments of our tenure in the mountains when recreating that breathtaking landscape.

And while the art bot can mimic analysis, it can never truly convey the warmth of the sun filtering through those golden leaves or the crispness of the mountain air. Each brushstroke is a reminder of home, an invitation to hold onto those fleeting moments, and a way to keep the spirit of those autumn days alive in my heart.

“Fall Mountain Lake” is part of a small collection of paintings depicting the watering hole across the street from our former cabin.  I sketched these out several years ago and return to them regularly, finally finishing two paintings of the four seasons. They have yet to be seen in a gallery setting but remain beloved in my own home until the time they fly the nest to reside elsewhere.

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 Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

 One treasure. One story. Once a month.


I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.

Strasburg Studio Archives: Forest Bathing

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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

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P I N E  D R E A M S


AUGUST SPOTLIGHT: "Forest Bathing"
19.5 x 29.5", oil on birch panel, 2023.

Ask me about price, delivery and install


This installment of Studio Archives is slightly delayed due to an unrelenting summer cold.
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio. 

Forest Bathing, 19.5 x 29.5”, oil on birch panel.

Recently reviewing the archive essays, I’m noticing the distinctive running theme of weather. It makes sense to be weather obsessed as a landscape painter.
 
The changing patterns outside determine the light illuminating my beloved subjects of grass, trees, land and water. The intensity of color on a sunlit backdrop or the moodiness of a storm cloud laden sky are elements that inspire and excite.

This month’s spotlight, Forest Bathing, represents one of my favorite walks in the Los Padres National Forest, near Mount Pinos, where my husband and I once owned a cabin. For years, we would abandon the coastline for higher altitudes to wander along nearby riparian corridors flanked by Jeffrey Pines emanating their intoxicating butterscotch scent in the heat of the summer.

As sun-drenched days settle in for their summer residency, August was a particularly wonder-filled month in the mountains. Often thunderheads would blossom over the distant range, the billowing white clouds would build playing peek-a-boo with the sun and throwing long shadows from towering pines onto the landscape.

In the warmth of this particular day, deep into the undergrowth, a sea of hatchling ladybugs filled the air. Layer upon layer of green pine needles and wild sage backlit with August sunlight made for a perfect image to paint. The meandering, flitting bodies of a million ladybugs added magic to a fairy-tale walk in the pines.

Forest Bathing isn't truly an archived image, having been completed in the last year with myriad other tree-themed paintings. Forest Bathing has never ventured beyond the studio and remains with its posse of forest paintings awaiting the just right moment to be exhibited. 

Fond memories of many summers spent in the pines compelled me to highlight my fondness for the mountains which rivals my love for the sea.


Interesting Factoid: At 8847 feet, Mt. Pinos is the tallest peak in the Los Padres National Forest. It is also known to be a dark skies destination for astronomy buffs. It's just 2 hours from Santa Barbara and has some of the best dark sky viewing around. The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best shooting star displays of the year and occurs late-July into mid-August each year. This year the peak will be August 11-12 with the most abundant shower occurring after midnight when the moon sets.
 

Learn more about the Perseids

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 Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

 One treasure. One story. Once a month.


I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.

Spring into Summer at Sundance

A warm thank you to Sundance for showcasing 16 new paintings online. Represented are paintings from seashore to mountain top, estuary birds and cloud filled skies.

Wild Pines, 12x48” Oil on Birch Panel

September at Sundance

Three new collections arriving this month at Sundance Online.

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New landscapes images of mountains and sky by Nicole Strasburg.

New landscapes images of mountains and sky by Nicole Strasburg.


Sky Sea framed gouache paintings by Nicole Strasburg.

Sky Sea framed gouache paintings by Nicole Strasburg.


Miniature gouache of Antelope Valley Pronghorn by Nicole Strasburg.

Miniature gouache of Antelope Valley Pronghorn by Nicole Strasburg.

THE RIVER'S JOURNEY: REVISITED

White Rock at start of the Rey Fire, 2016 2.5x7” Gouache on Arches Board

White Rock at start of the Rey Fire, 2016 2.5x7” Gouache on Arches Board

There is still time to see The River’s Journey in the city of Santa Barbara in our historical City Hall.

This show is a smaller version of the Rose Compass exhibit hosted by the Wildling Museum last Winter.

On First Thursday, March 7 from 5-7pm there will be one last reception to celebrate this leg of our four venue exhbition. You can also see the last iteration of the show at Westmont Ridley Tree Museum on the Westmont campus in Montecito. That exhibit will remain on view until mid June of this year.

Check out the website and stories of the journey at rosecompass.com.

There is also a wonderful exhibition catalog that goes with the show. Find a copy in the shop or at a local bookstore.