Aiken artists, Ann and Bill LeMay, will present a combined exhibit Feb 2-28 in the Aiken Artist Guild Gallery of the Aiken Center for the Arts. The opening reception for the husband and wife team will be Feb. 16, 6-8 pm. The reception is free and open to the public.

"We share very similar interests when it comes to art. It enlivens our relationship and we often travel and paint plein air and visit museums, love musical events and just about everything to do with art. We ask each other's opinon on a work in progress. This provides a nice way of supportive feedback and honesty." comments Ann.

The exhibit will feature Ann's exploration of abstract art. "I have always been deeply inspired by the often magnificence of my natural surroundings, colors, and distance of perspective." Ann explains. The artist uses layers of depth of paint and texture to bring some of the painting into the foreground more, in addition to using the opposite with areas of smooth paint and soft color to create more of a sense of space. There is a theme of warm, strong, hot reds, peach and yellow accented with blues in the work. The range of light to quite dark colors creates a dramatic look in the paintings.

Bill employs bold texture with color and value contrast as he paints in oil and acrylic. "Painting for me is an ever changing challenge to impart feeling, excitment and energy to a variety of subject matter. There is never a feeling of complete satisfaction with any of my paintings becasue I know that painting is a process and not an accomplishment. Painting for me will always be a quest for the sublime." shares Bill.

The combined exhibit will run throughout the month of February in the Aiken Center for the Arts at 122 Laurens St. SW in downtown Aiken, SC.