Birds, ginkgo leaves, seashells, fish … shoes with wings … lazy concentric circles … printmaker Paula Busch layers these images in a graceful blend of media that includes water-based silkscreen, photo emulsion, watercolor, graphite, and linoleum stamps. The Humanities Center presents Plant Whispers, an exhibition of works by Busch, Feb. 5–28.

“I rely on intuition to place the objects, colors, and patterns in each piece,” Busch said. She gives her pieces titles that unite the entire creative process, as in Conversation Echoing Backward, What Remains, and Maternal Instinct.

“Each piece has a story,” Busch said. “Some are about energy, some are about relationships—and some arise purely from the joy of reproducing images that I am attracted to.”

Busch earned her B.A. in art at UC Berkeley, and her M.A. in printmaking at CSU, Chico. She has exhibited throughout California for the past 25 years and teaches part time at Butte Community College. She is also chair of the City of Chico Arts Commission. See Exhibitions for information on gallery hours.

Lisa Kirk