An opening reception for an exhibit of works by artist Valera Crofoot, of Lewiston, is set for 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at The Viles Arboretum, 153 Hospital St.

A selection of oils paintings capturing the beauty of nature’s scenes from Maine’s more “civilized” coast line to the bold and battered shores and remote coastal communities of Newfoundland. Crofoot excels in capturing the raw beauty of that unique interface between land and the Atlantic Ocean as well as the scenes and land marks that punctuate the coves and harbors of cultures intimately connected to the sea.

Crofoot paints her reactions to visual stimuli: form and color. Her paintings are a response to her perceptions of what she observes in the world as she travels from the coastline of Maine and Canada to seas beyond. She is a studio painter who works in oil paint to construct layers that are manipulated by her imagination. A painting may begin from the memory of a location, on location, or from a visual snapshot that presents the form. The color application process comes from the imagination.

For more information, visit vilesarboretum.org or call 626-7989.