Botanical Artist Manabu Saito at college Gallery

Sussex County - The county community college will host an exhibit by botanical artist Manabu Saito beginning on Friday, Sept. 8. Manabu Saito was born in Tokyo, Japan and earned his art degree in the late 1950s at Pratt Institute in New York. Following his formal art education, he became a successful industrial designer for companies such as Sony, Nikon, Sharpe, and many others before developing his fine art of botanical renderings in watercolor. His highly developed watercolor technique allows for colorfully rich and texturally inviting botanical paintings. He creates the delicate, diaphanous qualities of plant life through the use of fine line and natural colors. Although all of his paintings of plant specimens are carefully researched and accurate in every detail, they are unlike photographs in that they exude a graceful and flowing character. Each petal, leaf, stem becomes a complex series of designs, values, and progressive forms working together to create a work of art. Saito works his watercolor with a delicate and balanced touch, leaving nothing to chance. The paintings are meticulous, intelligent, controlled and beautiful. His botanical watercolors have illustrated three books, including the only American wildflower guide and have been featured in both National Geographic and Audubon Magazines .In 1984 the U.S. Postal service issued a series of commemorative stamps depicting Manabu Saito’s orchids native to the United States. His paintings have been shown in both the New York and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and he exhibits in numerous galleries and institutions throughout America. The opening reception is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 at SCCC’s Gallery located in building C at the Newton Campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibition will continue through Oct. 20. For more information, please call Sussex County Community College at 973-300-2100 or visit the college Web site at www.sussex.edu.