Two local artists, painter Arlene Kelley and collage artist Marj Burgess, have open the exhibit “Full Circle” at Monkitree, 263 Water St. in Gardiner. The show will close Sept. 29.

Buress, who taught Kelley high school English, became an art student of Kelley. “I always knew she was creative, and now I have seen her creative talent go to a new level,” Kelley says of Buress, according to a news release from the gallery. “She is an inspiration to me with her energy and drive to learn to be a better artist, and the impressive work that she creates. And it is so fun to share our history, and that once she was my teacher and now I am hers. Thus we have come full circle and both of our lives have been enriched by knowing each other.”

Kelley went into graphic design as a young adult and has enjoyed many years working in that field. Painting for her became her outlet for personal and artistic expression, “I love realism and the challenge of capturing form and color in detail. These paintings are examples of my personal work over the years,” Kelley said according to the release.

For Buress, her artwork has been an opportunity to return to something she was drawn to as a child. With collage she encourages the viewer to explore the meaning given to images and how that changes when images are places side by side. Her artwork is an opportunity to experience an interaction between your true self and your life’s history.

For more information, call the gallery at 512-4679 or visit monkitree.com.

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