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See the Seashells and the Renovated Club: Mediterranean Cockle Shells (above), one of the watercolors by Penn alumna Lauren Sweeney in the upcoming show at the Burrison Gallery at the newly renovated University Club. |
The upcoming show, Seashells to the Seashore—watercolors by Penn alumna Lauren Sweeney will be the first show in the Burrison Gallery when the University Club reopens after renovations next Monday. A reception will be held in the Gallery at the Club on Friday, January 29 from 4-7 p.m.
Lauren Sweeney has had a life-long interest in art and biology. This led her to pursue a career first as a scientific illustrator, and then in scientific research. With a BA in biology from Penn, she studied medical illustration, then earned a PhD in biology. A career in research and teaching followed, first in Chicago, and then at Bryn Mawr College.
Throughout her career she always painted, but only in recent years did art become her full-time focus. A lifetime of scientific observation underpins her interest in capturing the essence of her subjects, which range from still life to interior scenes, streetscapes and seascapes. In most of these compositions, she focuses on glimpses of scenes to capture the essence of the larger scene.
She has exhibited in many galleries in the Philadelphia area and is a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, the Main Line Art Center, and the Guild of Scientific Illustrators. She has done a number of commissioned paintings, including for Penn’s Office of the Provost and the Delaware Museum of Natural History. Her work can be seen on the InLiquid website (http://inliquid.org).