feature image: Lounging with the Loons. Courtesy of Rountree Gallery.
Exhibit Dates: October 2 – November 15, 2025
Artist Talk: Saturday, November 15, at 1:00 p.m.
submitted
Platteville, WI – Rountree Gallery presents Upward Thermal, a multi-sensory exhibition exploring the beauty, symbolism, and urgency of bird life through the work of three women artists. More than 50 pieces in pastel, gouache, and beadwork sculpture invite visitors to consider our shared connection with birds—and the fragile ecosystems they depend on.
Like birds riding rising currents of warm air, Upward Thermal calls us to lift our gaze, reflect on our environment, and find renewal in art.
The Artists and Their Work
- Roberta Condon – A Hollow-boned Muse
Twenty pastel paintings depicting the magical and restorative interplay of humans with birds, offering viewers a place of respite and wonder.
- Lorraine Ortner-Blake – At Home with Birds
Gouache paintings presenting birds as contemporary icons—windows upward to awe and reverence—reminding us of the sacred in the everyday.
- Debra Grall – Endangered Species II: The Raven Cries
Beaded sculptures of ravens as guardians and prophets, warning of the ongoing threat of extinction and calling for environmental stewardship.
Visitors will also experience digital bird calls throughout the gallery, creating an immersive environment of sound and color.
“Birds rise on unseen thermals that carry them toward survival,” the artists write. “We, too, seek our own upward thermal.”
This exhibit runs October 2 through November 15, 2025. An Artist Talk with Roberta Condon, Lorraine Ortner-Blake, and Debra Grall will be held on the final day of the exhibition, Saturday, November 15, at 1:00 p.m. Admission is free, and all are welcome.
Rountree Gallery is a non-profit, community-supported art space located at 120 W. Main Street in Platteville, Wisconsin. The gallery is open Thursday and Friday from 4–7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. More information can be found at http://www.rountreegallery.org.
Gallery hours: 4 PM to 7 PM and Saturdays 10 AM to 2 PM
Admission: Free
Website: www.rountreegallery.org
Social Media: @rountreegallery
Contact
Bill Mitchell, Gallery Director
Rountree Gallery
120 W. Main Street, Platteville, WI
773.415.8215
rountreegallery@gmail.com