I have little experience with plein air myself, although I have always admired the practice from afar. I have been told of the discomforts and rewards of capturing the raw environment that holds you. Becoming intimate with land and the elements, and doing so within a collaborative setting is something that is deeply curious to me. It seems to me an all-encompassing experience – one that connects one’s environment to the body, the mind, and the mediums at hand.

Celia Liberace (b. 2000) is a DMV and NYC-based painter completing her BFA at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Much of her work represents an amalgamation of both classical representation and  modern interpretations of contemporary life, using herself and loved ones as her primary life subjects. Celia uses human anatomy to reflect upon complex systems woven within nature and to communicate topics regarding sexuality, identity, social and environmental consciousness, and self-actualization. She is deeply fascinated by the body’s potential to convey evolving psychological, spiritual, and physical states, and the simultaneous deterioration or evolution of the body and one’s natural environment.