“NATURE’S DUET”: Abigail Johnson’s paintings “Forest,” left, and “Rain,” right, and Laura Beard’s “Fragile Balance 1,” top center, and “Serenity,” bottom center, are featured in their exhibition on view January 6 through February 28 at the Tulpehaking Nature Center in Hamilton.

The nonprofit Friends for the Abbott Marshlands (FFAM) have announced their 2024 opening exhibition by artists Abigail Johnson of Princeton and Laura Beard of Ewing. Their collaborative fine art show, entitled “Nature’s Duet,” combines the individual expressions of each artist — Johnson as an abstract painter and Beard as a realism painter — to express their appreciation and wonder in the natural world and its complex interactions. The paintings reflect the land, water, and animals of the greater central New Jersey area. The artists hope to draw attention to FFAM’s efforts to build awareness and support for the protection and stewardship of the Abbott Marshlands.

The free “Nature’s Duet” exhibition will be on view January 6 through February 28 on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tulpehaking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton.

Johnson’s work has been showcased in several local venues such as the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, West Windsor Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Princeton. Beard’s work has also been featured in many local area exhibitions, including the John James Audubon Center in Audubon, Pa; the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie; Garden State Watercolor Society; and Artworks Trenton. Both artists were recent awardees in this year’s “Ellarslie Open 40”: Johnson for digital art, and Beard for watercolor.

An artists’ reception for the exhibition will be held on Sunday, February 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Tulpehaking Nature Center. Visitors can purchase original artworks at the reception desk, or call (609) 888-3218. A percentage of sales will benefit FFAM.

The marshlands are situated in Lenapehoking, the traditional and ancestral homeland of the Lenape. They include over 3,000 acres of open space along the Delaware River in Central New Jersey. Crisscrossed by a canal, a railroad, and a major highway interchange, the essential nature of the northernmost tidal freshwater marsh on the Delaware River remains, providing rich habitat for a wide variety of birds, fish, mammals, plants and others natural elements.

Friends for the Abbott Marshlands obtained federal nonprofit status in October 2021. Originally known as the Trenton Marsh, a coalition of supporters worked to change the name to the Abbott Marshlands in 2022 to reflect ecology, cultural history, archeology, recreation, education and stewardship. For more information, visit abbottmarshlands.org.