Artist Reception | Friday October 17th 5-8pm CDT

Lindsay Sandbothe is a nature artist based in Highland, IN that specializes in bird and animal portraiture.  She received BFAs in Art Education and Art History from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Professionally Lindsay balances a career in higher education and education coordination with being a working artist. In addition to freelance and commissions, she enjoys teaching art classes and workshops with the Morton Arboretum, Chicago-area artist groups, or out of her home studio. 

Menagerie is a growing collection of large-scale animal portraits that celebrates the vibrant spirit and individuality of the natural world. Each painting depicts a creature - or group - rendered in vivid color and expressive texture, using a painterly style that brings energy and a sense of life to each form. I approach each animal as a subject worthy of portraiture, focusing on their unique features, expressions, and gestures. My goal is to both document and also reveal personality—to make visible the often-overlooked emotional and expressive depth of non-human life.

As I paint, I find myself drawn to the ways animals mirror human traits. There’s a remarkable emotional honesty in the tilt of a head, the gleam in an eye, or the tension in posture that can be just as revealing as any human subject. This connection fuels my fascination with capturing their essence. Each painting is a small act of collection—a way of honoring and preserving the wonder of different species while building a diverse visual archive of nature’s characters.

At the heart of this series is joy. My love for animals and the natural world is a constant source of inspiration, and I hope that comes through in the work. There is something deeply satisfying about transforming canvas, color, and texture into a creature that feels alive, curious, maybe even familiar. I want viewers to feel that spark of recognition and delight—to pause, smile, and maybe even see animals, and the world around them, a little differently.

Show runs until Nov 15th.