A slice of life at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum

From flowers gifted during memorable milestones, to landscapes of familiar parks and meadows, artist Patricia Lind-Gonzalez captures slices of her own life at her first solo show “Inspired by Nature,” now on display at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum.

Original oil paintings by Smithtown-based artist Lind-Gonzalez that depict representational scenes are available to view and purchase at the arboretum manor house’s upstairs gallery Thursdays through Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. until Saturday, Oct. 17. A reception is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4.

The pieces on display, whether a depiction of a vase filled with roses, or a painting of a barn, each has personal significance to Lind-Gonzalez.

“Every painting has a story to it,” Lind-Gonzalez said. “These flowers were given to me by some of my colleagues when I retired,” she added, pointing to a floral still-life titled “From Maggie and Tori.”

Lind-Gonzalez recently retired from Farmingdale State College, where she was an administrator for 16 years, and is now dedicating her full-time to her passion for art. Many of her floral still-life paintings, like “Happy Birthday” show bouquets of Lind-Gonzalez received from family and friends on special occasions, or ordinary days.

“People know I love flowers so much, they’re always in my house,” Lind-Gonzalez added.

Capturing scenes that feature contrasting or prominent shadows and lighting is a big draw when Lind-Gonzalez approaches a potential subject. In her floral pieces, like “Yellow And White Bouquet,” a dark shadow emanates from behind a bouquet of sunflowers and pink and white roses, adding a more representational depth. And in “Lucky Bamboo Plant,” a ray of light realistically shines from the small porcelain bamboo pot, casting a shadow from the plant.

And in her landscapes like “Red Barn in Connecticut,” trees that are just out-of-frame draw dark shadows on a barn in the woods that stands out in a bright sunny day.

Other paintings depict places or objects that are meaningful to Lind-Gonzalez.

An oil painting, “The Neighbor’s House,” shows a view from Lind-Gonzalez’s backyard after snowfall, and features the back of her neighbor’s house.

“They don’t know that I painted it peeking out the window,” Lind-Gonzalez joked.

The brush strokes give intricate details to the gaps between the wooden board of her backyard fence, all the way to the distant blur of trees whose leaves are still partially attached to its branches.

“Path to Laffin At Farmingdale State College” shows the view from Lind-Gonzalez’s former office window, which she’d sketch while not busy. And “El Murro In Old San Juan” depicts a coastal building in Puerto Rico, where the family of Lind-Gonzalez’s husband originates, that she captured while visiting the island.

And even in her floral pieces, which Lind-Gonzalez began as a way to uplift her mood during the COVID-19 pandemic, the vases holding the beautiful bouquets are vintage pieces Lind-Gonzalez enjoys collecting at antiques stores.

Other places Lind-Gonzalez depicts include parks across Long Island, with truly picturesque views as shown in paintings like “Connetquot River At The Bayard Cutting Arboretum,” “Cordwood Park, Smithtown,” and “A Day At Planting Fields.”

Lind-Gonzalez creates paintings like those depicting a white farmhouse, or a barren forest of fallen leaves in autumn through a plein-air technique, where she sketches and captures the vision for a piece by looking at it in nature. Later, she brings out her oil paints and diligently finishes the piece in her home studio.

For all her life, Lind-Gonzalez wanted to be an artist, but after encouragement from her parents, worked in the banking industry, which she felt wasn’t a fit for her.

“I would sit there at my desk and sketch and dream of being an artist and having a show,” Lind-Gonzalez said.

After 9/11, Lind-Gonzalez said she felt nothing in life was guaranteed, and so she left her corporate job to pursue art. Lind-Gonzalez received classical training at the Stevenson Academy of Art in Oyster Bay with Alma Stevenson and Attila Hejja, and later, after leaving the banking industry, was an apprentice to Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier in Manhattan.

While in this group, she received a grant from the Forbes Foundation to paint at the Château de Balleroy in Normandy, France, an experience that opened Lind-Gonzalez’s eyes to the art of landscape painting. Some of the pieces Lind-Gonzalez created in France, like “Grazing Sheep,” are on display at the show.

After years of planning for her first solo show and now entering retirement, Lind-Gonzalez, who is also a member of Women Sharing Art, said she looks forward to expanding her creative potential and dreams of returning to Europe to capture more scenes.