Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist Michelle Hinebrook announced the debut of “Urban Nature,” an exhibition showcasing 100 nature-inspired paintings and drawings on display at the artist’s studio at 1000 Dean St. in Prospect Heights.
The exhibition opens with a reception June 26 from 4 to 9 p.m. and will be open to the public June 27 and June 28 from noon to 8 p.m.
The installation tells the story of urban nature from a local artist’s perspective, informed by ideas about the human relationship with nature and the need to connect with it while living in the city.
“I love drawing in nature,” Hinebrook told Brooklyn Paper. “The works in this exhibition are 100 pages curated from my sketchbooks, created over a decade of observation in NYC parks.”
It documents seasonal change, diverse plant life, organic structures, shifting light and natural patterns in the landscape. Branching systems, surface textures, color relationships and layered forms become ways of exploring transformation and perception, allowing viewers to reconnect with nature and encouraging more deliberate observation of the environment.
“Urban Nature,” an exhibition featuring 100 drawings and paintings by artist Michelle Hinebrook, opens Friday.Image courtesy of Michelle Hinebrook
Since childhood, Hinebrook has experienced nature as sentient, spiritually alive and deeply magical. The collection was inspired by 10 years of observing natural patterns, seasonal cycles, color, texture and line formations in Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, reflecting the artist’s ongoing engagement with the garden as a space for reflection and creative inquiry.
The installation highlights the importance of New York City’s green spaces and urban nature and draws attention to overlooked details, revealing the city’s parks as living, changing systems that invite a more intimate relationship with the landscape.
“Urban Nature,” an exhibition featuring 100 drawings and paintings by artist Michelle Hinebrook, opens Friday.Image courtesy of Michelle Hinebrook
Hinebrook, whose work has been featured in 18 solo exhibitions and more than 50 group exhibitions, uses drawing as a meditative practice, allowing her to reset her nervous system while deepening her relationship with the environment. The drawings reflect her spiritual connection to it.
She studied the relationships among growth, decay, light, atmosphere, movement and organic forms throughout the changing seasons. The drawings emphasize hidden structures, patterns and seasonal rhythms that often go unnoticed, exploring the complexity and vitality of the natural world.
“This installation documents seasonal change, natural patterns, color, texture and line, while reflecting on the restorative relationship between people and urban nature,” Hinebrook said.