The exhibition at the Artists League of the Sandhills for the month of March is "Colorplay," a display of large watercolor paintings by Pamela Swarbrick, a League member and Pinehurst resident since 2001.

An opening reception will be held Sunday, March 4, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the gallery, which is located at 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen.

The exhibition is on display through March 24.

Swarbrick and her husband, Jim, moved to the Sandhills area from the North Carolina coast to escape the hurricanes after several direct hits on their home in Hampstead. She was born in South Wales UK in a rural farming community and says she believes her love of animals derives from that time.

She uses a great deal of color in her work. She does not use earth pigments, preferring instead to use primary colors that she blends on the paper.

She took up watercolor painting when she and her husband lived in Chapel Hill, where he was professor and chairman of pharmaceutics at UNC.

"She has painted in oil and acrylic, but fell in love with watercolor and the way colors explode when painted wet in wet," says a spokesman. "Each painting is a challenge, unpredictable and exciting."

Swarbrick has studied studio art in Australia, London, England, Pasadena, Calif., and UNC Chapel Hill. She has also taken workshops by such internationally known watercolorists as Charles Reid, Frank Webb, Alex Powers and Skip Lawrence. She says that she considers herself a student and is still learning.

For subject matter she chooses large flowers, still life, abstracts and animals. Her cow paintings have won several awards, including Best in Show at the Campbell House Fine Art Festival 2006.

The gallery is open noon until 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 910-944-3979.