Katzeff's Pastels on Display

Local artist Anne Katzeff often begins her landscape pastels in far away places – Europe, South America and the Caribbean – but almost always returns to nearby Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge for the finishing touches.

"It's such a sacred area," she said of her de facto outdoor studio. "The natural beauty really draws me in."

Katzeff's first solo exhibit, "Gifts of Nature," is currently on display at the Mass Audubon Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary on 10 Juniper Road. The exhibit, which opened March 31, ends Friday, April 30. The gallery is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Although she travels routinely, the Belmont resident said this collection is mostly local with some images inspired by scenes in Lenox and Wellfleet. She said the works intend to show how she has evolved as a landscape artist.

"I love color and texture," said Katzeff, who dedicated this collection to her late painting buddy, Laura Riegelhaupt, "and I try to evoke the feeling of place."

As a landscape artist, she also cares deeply about the environment and sustainability, beliefs that mirror those of Mass Audubon, New England's largest conservation organization.

Friends have compared her style to that of the late painter Georgia O'Keeffe; praise Katzeff doesn't take lightly.

"I don't think of myself as Georgia O'Keeffe," she said. "That's a very high compliment though and quite humbling."

Mass Audubon works to protect Massachusetts' nature for people and wildlife. Its sanctuary in Belmont comprises 88 acres of forests, meadows, ponds and wetlands.

For more information on this and upcoming exhibits, visit www.massaudubon.org or call (617) 489-5050.