(Photos submitted) Ruthven native and area artist, Danielle Clouse's work on display at PLAC will feature abstract oil paintings based on surrounding northwest Iowa landscapes.

Local artist and Pearson Lakes Art Center Assistant Curator, Danielle Clouse, will exhibit her current paintings in a show entitled: "Rural Abstraction: Recent Paintings by Danielle Clouse." In this show developed especially for the Pearson Lakes Art Center, Clouse will feature abstract oil paintings based on surrounding northwest Iowa landscapes.

Her work will be on display in the PLAC's Secondary Space May 23 through June 28, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.

Clouse's hint of abstraction lends a temporary aesthetic to an otherwise traditional perspective of landscape painting. The imagery for the work is taken from roadside views while traveling from town to town around the area. These views are then partially broken down into structured, abstract compositions -- in some cases, turning what was originally an organic landscape into a very geometric version of the same subject matter. The colors used in her work are taken directly from life and often echo those found in plein air (painting on-site in the outdoors) paintings.

Originally from Ruthven, Danielle Clouse received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Northwest Missouri State University, with an emphasis in painting and ceramics. Currently, she is working out of her home studio in Spirit Lake.

* PLAC Summer hours: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.