Ulli Misegades, a native of Germany, is a nationally recognized, self-taught artist specializing in watercolor and pastel media. Misegades is no stranger to the Campbell House Galleries since she has been a regular participant in the Arts Council of Moore County's annual Fine Arts Festival.

"Landscapes and Wildlife by Ulli Misegades" opens Friday, Nov. 6, with a reception to meet the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. Kim and Willie Sobat and Carol Misegades host the reception, which is free and open to the public.

Misegades' interest in art began in her teens after a visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where she viewed the works of van Rijn Rembrandt.

But it was only after her first watercolor workshop with the late Zoltan Szabo that she started seriously investing in further art instruction.

Her favorite medium is watercolor even though she now mainly paints in pastel.

"Watercolor will always be a challenge to me," says Misegades. "That is my main attraction to the medium."

Misegades' favorite subjects are people. She belongs to a group of portrait artists in Cary that meets once a week to paint from a live model. She also loves to paint animal portraits and is taking on more and more landscapes.

As a result of training under some of the finest artists in the United States and a rigorous daily regimen of practice as espoused by the classical masters of artistry, Misegades has received numerous state and national awards for her work.

She received her first award from the Cary Cultural Arts Association in 1996. Since then, many national and international awards have followed, including being selected three times as a winner in The Pastel Journal's annual competition.

Misegades and her family moved from Germany to North Carolina in 1996. Today, she and her husband, Kent, make their home in Cary and Southern Pines.

The exhibit is on display through Dec. 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays, and from 2 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21. The galleries will be closed Nov. 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving. The Campbell House Galleries are located at 482 East Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For more information about the November exhibit, contact the Arts Council of Moore County at (910) 692-4356 or visit the Web site at www.mooreart.org.