Holly Lane’s Artistic Tributes to the Natural World

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### The Art of Framing: Holly Lane’s “Not Enough Time to Love the World”

#### LOS GATOS, Calif. — A Contemporary Exploration in Art and Symbolism

The art world continues to evolve by exploring unconventional themes and redefining traditional boundaries between mediums. Holly Lane, an artist who has dedicated nearly four decades to her craft, exemplifies this ethos in her exhibition **“Not Enough Time to Love the World”** at the New Museum Los Gatos. Merging painting and sculpture, Lane creates intricate reliquary-style frames that honor nature and invite viewers to reflect on its place in the contemporary world.

#### The Evolution of Framing in Modern Art

At the heart of Lane’s works is a defiance of modernist aesthetic principles. While mid-20th-century minimalism championed functionality and inconspicuous framing, Lane sought inspiration from historical contexts, particularly the ornate and symbolic frames of early Christian art. She rebelled against the notion that frames should quietly fade into the background. Instead, Lane transforms the frame into an integral part of the artwork, weaving together themes of spirituality, environmental reverence, and human existence.

Her reliquary-style frames echo medieval carvings and marginalia, bringing a sacred and contemplative energy to each piece. This thematic approach aligns her work with a contemporary redefinition of the “secular sacred,” focusing on the sanctity of the natural world amidst the environmental challenges of today.

#### Bubbles, Wings, and Time: The Symbolism in Lane’s Work

The exhibition’s centerpiece, **“Not Enough Time to Love the World”** (2022), encapsulates the urgency of environmental preservation. The painting depicts floating bubbles, timeless symbols of ephemerality, framed by a winged hourglass and an arch — metaphors for the transience of life and the finite span of human existence. Together, these elements invite deeper contemplation on our fleeting engagement with nature, underscoring the awareness of its fragility in the Anthropocene.

#### Personal Narratives and Universal Themes

One of Lane’s standout pieces, **“After the Storm”** (2012), reflects her personal experiences. Created following a difficult relocation, the composition captures triumph over adversity through its meticulously carved crown and side panels—miniature scenes that weave wonder and humor, such as starry skies and playful domestic imagery. The frame itself transcends functionality, becoming a storybook layered with visual delight.

Another remarkable piece, **“Gentle Muse”** (2010), pays homage to trees, positioning them as a cornerstone of both physical survival and spiritual inspiration. Gothic carvings mimic cathedral arches, while apothecary jars embedded in the frame allude to their medicinal roles. At the center, a graphite rendering of a tree radiates quiet elegy, encapsulating themes of loss and reverence.

#### Lane’s Legacy: Art as a Dialogue With Nature

Lane’s distinctive framing techniques reimagine the role of art not only as a celebration of beauty but as a platform for environmental dialogue. By entwining sculptural elements and symbolic narratives around painted canvases, her work magnifies the message that the natural world is not merely a passive backdrop but an essential, living entity under constant threat.

As human activity continues to place unprecedented stress on ecosystems, Lane’s art invites a crucial reconsideration of values and priorities. Her intricate, reliquary-style frames remind us that art can bridge the spiritual and material, offering a space to confront the fragility and temporality of life.

#### Experience “Not Enough Time to Love the World”

Holly Lane’s exhibition continues at the **New Museum Los Gatos** through **January 12, 2025**, curated by Helaine Glick. Visitors will find themselves drawn into a meditative exploration of nature’s intertwined legacy with human life, presented in a way that only an artist of Lane’s vision could achieve.

This exhibition serves as both a tribute to nature and a call to action for its preservation.

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*For more information on Holly Lane and her work, visit the New Museum Los Gatos’ website*.