Nature, captured on paper

FEW art forms capture the interior beauty of an object as truthfully or elegantly as nature printing. With roots in ancient Chinese stone rubbings and gyotaku -- the Japanese art of fish printing -- contemporary nature prints are created by either applying pigment directly to the object and then gently placing the paper over it, or by rubbing pigment over the paper to capture the image in relief. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History curator Eric Hochberg has assembled one of the most extensive collections of nature printing at the Forest Lawn Memorial-Park Museum in Glendale. According to Hochberg, who has been printing for more than three decades: “The exhibit is unique in the variety of subjects, printing techniques and also artistic expression that’s represented -- there are plants, fish and stone carvings in both natural and abstract creative images.” Nearly 100 prints from three dozen artists are on display, including “Feeding Salmon” (2004), below, a direct print diptych by Don Jenson. The show runs through Jan. 8; the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free. For information, call (800) 204-3131.

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-- Janet Cromley