Flora and Funga by Nicole Ousley Dittus

February 28 through April 99 a.m. to 5 p.m.On the gallery walls in the visitor and education center
Included with paid admission or garden membership. $15 + tax, $9 + tax for ages 3-12, free for ages 2 and under.
The details found in nature have always fascinated Nicole Ousley Dittus. She loves how the gills on the underside of a mushroom or the veins in a leaf are like a roadmap of how that foliage evolved. Trees and flowers provide a history of their development in stages; notches on a tree or a bud protruding from a stem, can be represented by a mere line or shape. In this exhibit, artistic license allows exaggeration so that the viewer can appreciate the fine details. Detailed repetition allows the viewer to take a trip through flora and fungi in a meditative way.
About Nicole Ousley DittusI have lived in three countries, 11 states, and visited many places in between. I’ve been in Iowa since 2008 and love the laid back pace and attitude of the Midwest. My current obsession is nature; most likely always will be. When challenged by commissioned designs, I return to what is familiar. Mushrooms, flora, fauna, skulls, bugs, beetles, butterflies…on original art, prints, and on ceramic and various textiles. I also upcycle old boxes with my artwork and additional found objects.I currently live in Council Bluffs, IA with my husband and clan of fur babies. My adult sons live nearby. I have been blessed with a granddaughter and she is the cutest little ladybug! I have been a middle school art teacher since 2012. I love inspiring my students to be creative and make art about the things they love!