From now until the end of January, Sky Art Gallery and Photography Studio in Aberdeen will feature "Stone Faces and Sanctuaries," a collection of photographs by the gallery's owner, John Gessner.

The show had been on exhibit in Charlotte, where it was voted a staff pick by Creative Loafing and was mentioned in The Charlotte Observer as something "not to be missed."

Gessner has been a professional commercial photographer in New York City for more than 15 years. Some of his clients have been Rolls Royce Motor Cars, The Blues Traveler, and Apocalypse Snowboards.

Last year, Gessner was invited to judge the Sandhills Photography Club's print competition. He currently lives in Aberdeen, where he owns Sky Art Gallery and Photography Studio.

The photographs for "Stone Faces and Sanctuaries" were taken in England, along ley-lines and at their intersections. Ley-lines, or Leys, are alignments of ancient sites stretching across the landscape.

Ancient sites or holy places may be situated in a straight line ranging from one or two to several miles in length. A ley may be identified simply by an aligned placing of marker sites, or it might be visible on the ground for all or part of its length by the remnants of an old straight track.

"While working on an archeological dig as a photographer I learned of these ley-lines which connect not only ancient megalithic ruins but also modern buildings," says Gessner. "I was intrigued by this ancient system of alignments and geometry, which seems to have incorporated itself into buildings and sacred sites around the world. Leys are not simply the remains of something ancient; they are an ongoing reality in our landscape."

The exhibit may be seen Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment.

Sky Art Gallery and Photography Studio, voted "Best Art Gallery" in the Pilot's 2006 Best of Moore Awards, is located at 602 Magnolia Drive, at the entrance to Magnolia Square in Aberdeen.

For more information about "Stone Faces and Sanctuaries" or to view John Gessner's photos, visit www.skyart gallery.com or call (910) 944-0490.