For many, the word style is associated with decoration and appearance. In art, it is often
understood through the choices that make an artist’s work immediately recognizable. But style
can reveal something deeper. It reflects what an artist notices, what they return to, and
ultimately what they believe is worth our attention.
For Charlotte Marie Isbell, that visual language has emerged through years of observing
changing light, shifting weather, remembered places, and the emotional landscapes they
awaken. Working intuitively, she builds each oil painting through layered color, expressive
marks, and an ongoing dialogue between memory, observation, and the canvas itself.
Rather than depicting a specific landscape, Isbell’s paintings explore what it feels like to belong
within one. Through their immersive scale and layered compositions, her works invite viewers
into moments of reflection. They encourage us to consider not only the landscapes that
surround us, but also the connections those places hold.
That exploration became the foundation for Canopy, a collaboration with the Land Trust of North
Alabama that began with a shared question: how might art create a deeper connection to the
natural world? Through those conversations, Isbell began creating a new site-responsive body
of work.
Canopy consists of two connected experiences. The indoor exhibition at Huntsville City Lifestyle
presents the majority of Isbell’s new paintings, while the outdoor installation at the Land Trust’s
Hickory Cove Nature Preserve features the largest work created for the series—presented
exclusively within a protected landscape where the surroundings become part of the
experience.
"We rarely protect what we have never truly noticed," explains Isbell. "Love begins with attention."
"I wanted this installation to make room for quiet attention, where a person, a painting, and the
landscape could simply exist together," says Isbell. Across both experiences, Canopy invites visitors to slow down, pay attention, and come stand quietly beside nature.
Bringing Canopy to Life
The seeds of the collaboration were planted in early 2025, when Isbell approached Lindsey
Pattillo Keane, Vice Chair of the Land Trust of North Alabama Board of Directors and Executive
Director of MidCity District Association, with the idea of Canopy for an exhibition.
"Charlotte’s work has always invited people to pause and truly see the world around them," says
Pattillo Keane. "Conservation is ultimately about relationships: between people, place, and
community. Canopy provides opportunities for those relationships to grow in a completely new
way here while remaining deeply aligned with the Land Trust’s mission."
As planning began, Pattillo Keane invited Patricia Davis, Event Coordinator for the Land Trust of
North Alabama, to help bring the collaboration to life. Davis recognized this as an opportunity for the Land Trust to create a bridge between contemporary art and conservation, reaching new audiences through a shared experience of art and nature. Davis, also a visual artist, educator, and curator, notes, “Artists have long explored ways to share work beyond traditional gallery and museum walls, allowing unexpected settings
to shape how people experience and understand it. Through Canopy, contemporary art becomes another pathway for the Land Trust to invite people to engage with the landscapes it protects.” For Executive Director Marie Bostick, the collaboration reflects another way the organization can fulfill its mission.
"We know that people are more likely to care for places where they have experienced wonder, beauty, or belonging," says Bostick. "Canopy offers another way to discover why these places matter—not only for their ecological value, but for the way they enrich our lives and our communities."
Why Here? Why Now?
As Huntsville continues to grow, so does its cultural identity. Nationally recognized for innovation, technology, and scientific discovery, the city is also investing in the arts while working to preserve the natural landscapes that make North Alabama distinctive. Canopy reflects that moment of evolution. It recognizes that places of wonder and contemplation can take many forms, from a museum or gallery to the immersive experience of
standing within a protected landscape. By bringing contemporary painting into one of North Alabama’s nature preserves, the collaboration invites visitors to experience both art and nature as spaces of reflection and discovery.
For those who may feel uncertain about contemporary art, these paintings offer a different point
of entry. They ask for curiosity rather than expertise, encouraging viewers to linger, reflect, and
spend time with questions instead of immediate answers. In a city shaped by innovation and constant change, this collaboration offers an opportunity to rediscover the landscapes that have been here all along. In bringing together art, conservation, and community, Canopy suggests that attention is both a creative act and a form of stewardship.
Experience Canopy
Canopy takes place October 15–18, 2026, with free and ticketed experiences.
Visit landtrustnal.org/canopy for event details and tickets.
Proceeds support the Land Trust of North Alabama’s mission and Charlotte Marie Isbell’s
ongoing studio practice.