Naturally you’ll want to see this

Weave your way to the Newport Performing Arts Center for the exhibit “Fabric of Nature,” by Sue Friesz, on display in the Olive Street Gallery through Dec. 31.

Friesz describes herself as a Pacific Northwest artist who invents her own visual language from observations of nature. Her contemporary drawings and paintings reveal an interest in the aesthetics and structure of trees and plants and a concern for the changes she sees happening in the environment. Craftsmanship is also an important element in her work.

This summer, Friesz spent a month at Jentel, an art residency located near Sheridan, Wyoming. She currently maintains a studio in Newport.

“I have always been interested in our natural environment, especially plants,” she said. “There are four major classifications of plants: grasses, herbaceous plants, woody shrubs and trees that over time I have enjoyed drawing.”

For the images in the show, she used a large map plotter, enlarged the three drawings, transferred them to gessoed canvases and painted them with acrylic paint. In selected spaces on the paintings, she created symbols to imitate patterns on a fabric, representing contaminants.

The Newport Visual Arts Center is located at 777 NW Beach Drive and is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4 pm. For more information, go to coastarts.org or call 541-265-6540.