Special to the
Opelika Observer
Melissa B. Tubbs, a renowned pen and ink artist, will present “Ink Architecture” at OLLI’s Alabama Brown Bag Lunch & Lecture Series on Feb. 19. A reception for the artist will follow until 4:30 p.m. at Sunny Slope, which is located at 1031 S. College St. OLLI will also host a Pen & Ink Worshop with Tubbs on March 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration will be available on OLLI’s website.
Tubbs is an architectural portraitist. She came to the realization that this subject engaged her interest and passion for architecture and made better use of her finely honed technical abilities. In addition to numerous commissions, Tubbs used her pen to document significant works of architecture and the decorative ornaments on those structures.
Indeed, some of the artist’s finest works are of building details, focusing on architectural embellishments, different textures of building materials and the dramatic patterns of light and shadow cascading across the surfaces of the structure.
Tubbs grew up in an Air Force family that required they move every three years.
Eventually her father retired in Montgomery, so that is where Tubbs settled. She earned a bachelor’s degree in visual design from Auburn University, began a career in commercial design and raised a family. For the last 24 years, Tubbs has been a full-time artist, architectural preservationist and community arts enthusiast. She was commissioned by the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts to create drawings as awards given to outstanding business supporters of the arts. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts commissioned a series of eight drawings of its interior and exterior, and a few years later asked her to document a new building addition. Strathmore Artist Papers commissioned a drawing for their Series 400 Smooth Surface drawing pad covers.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University (OLLI at Auburn) hosts its Alabama Bicentennial Brown Bag Lunch and Lecture Series from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Boykin Community Center, located at 400 Boykin St. in Auburn. The bring-your-own-lunch begins at 11:45 a.m., and complimentary coffee, tea and cookies will be provided. The program begins at 12:15 p.m. The series is cosponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities and City of Auburn’s Boykin Community Center. The program is open to the public at no charge.
OLLI at Auburn is a program of the Office of the Vice President for University Outreach at Auburn University. OLLI administrative offices and select classes are located at the historic Sunny Slope property at 1031 South College St. in Auburn.
For more information regarding this event or to learn about becoming a volunteer faculty member, volunteer service assistant, or sponsor, contact Shawnee McKee, OLLI Administrative Support, at 334-844-3146, olli@auburn.edu. or visit www.olliatauburn.org.