‘Louisiana Landscapes’ : Work of artist Brittany Manuel on display at Historic City Hall
Published 11:04 am Thursday, December 21, 2023
‘Louisiana Landscapes’ hangs through Feb. 17.
The pieces displayed in “Louisiana Landscapes” span her travels on the Gulf Coast from 2018 to 2023.
Brittany Manuel painting live during a restoration planting day at Sam Houston Jones State Park.
Manuel began recording and painting Louisiana’s landscapes to memorialize the land that she loves.
An exhibition honoring and highlighting the raw beauty of Louisiana’s ecosystem opened at the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center Center Second Floor East gallery last week.
“Louisiana Landscapes” is a group exhibit that is being hosted by Gallery by the Lake until Feb. 17, 2024. It features 42 pieces by 12 artists that utilize an array of artistic mediums — acrylic and oil paints, watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, charcoal, relief printing, digital and film photography, and wire sculpture — said Dan Plummer, president, Gallery by the Lake.
15 of these pieces are by the featured artist, Brittany Manuel. She is a Lake Charles native that has engrossed herself in Louisiana’s environment, like Monkey Island and the Cameron Jetties, since she was six months old. By 10, she was drawing the birds and trees that she saw in the woods close to her home.
Her love for naturalism led her to work in conservation. After graduation from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2014, she began volunteering in wildlife conservation jobs. During this time, she began recording and painting Louisiana’s landscapes to memorialize the land that she loves.
The pieces displayed in “Louisiana Landscapes” span her travels on the Gulf Coast from 2018 to 2023. As a lifelong fisher, she is an advocate for the appreciation and responsible use of a land’s resources, and advocates for the natural healing practices and nutrition that can be derived from the environment. She said that she is using her gift for art to create her own art-based conservation enterprise that brings awareness to the importance of Louisiana’s land and highlights the restoration and preservation efforts that are already taking place.
“Even if I don’t go out there to plant a plant, I would like to paint either the beauty of it or someone restoring and preserving the land. … I’m using my gift in a way that shows the importance of this land, so I think a lot of our future efforts would be focused on the preservation and conservation of this area.”
Her artistic career spans 25 years, and the pieces featured in “Louisiana Landscapes” were created with acrylic and ink.
It is her hope that the exhibition will inspire locals to take the time to appreciate everything that Louisiana’s natural resources have to offer.
“I’ve come across so many people that take Louisiana’s nature and beauty for granted, and I wanted my art to show it off and display the beauty of the landscape. Not too many people go outside the City to go see it unless they are fishermen or sportsmen.”
Anybody can participate in conservation efforts, she said.
“No matter how small an action is, it would help. Even taking pictures of Louisiana’s landscape and posting them on social media, you’re showing that Louisiana’s landscape is valuable.”
Plummer said that a majority of the displayed pieces are for sale, with prices ranging from $50 to $3,000. Some artists have displayed small prints or cards that can be purchased for as little as $3.
The exhibit is viewable Tuesday through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
