CONTRIBUTED

For the month of October, the Artists League of the Sandhills will feature Eileen Strickland's "Realistic Oil Portraits & Fine Art Exhibit."

The exhibit will begin with an opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 8 p.m. The reception and exhibit are open to the public. The exhibition will run from Oct. 4 through Oct. 30. Gallery hours are from noon to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Strickland is a recognized portrait artist, who captures the spirit of people and pets. Along with painting portraits, she also enjoys painting landscapes, seascapes, architecture and still life.

"She believes her source of inspiration and ability to create realistic art is a gift from God," says a spokesman. "She is passionate about detail and intense color when creating a realistic painting. Her technique of using transparent oil glazes of color allows her to create a rich and luminous painting."

Eileen Strickland is a native of North Carolina, with a 30-year secretarial career at McCain Correctional Hospital, retiring July 2005. Her interest in art began when she a young teenager drawing cartoon characters with colored pencils and charcoal. She took her first art class at the age of 30, and her enthusiasm for art was stirred again in 1997, when she began painting seriously.

Strickland joined the Artists League of the Sandhills in 2000. She studied under several local artists and nationally known portrait artists, such as Luanna Winner, David Weaver, Peggy Baumgaertner and Robert Way. During her art career she has completed more than 200 commissions. Her art hangs in local businesses and private and public locations in Arizona, South Carolina, California and North Carolina.

After her retirement, Strickland became an art instructor at the Artists League of the Sandhills and offers individual art lessons in her home studio. Her recent work may be viewed on her website, www.eileensart.net.

The Artists League of the Sandhills is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to promote interest in the visual arts by providing art education and a friendly environment in which to work, exhibit and sell members' artworks. It is located in historic downtown Aberdeen at 129 Exchange St. in the old Aberdeen Rockfish Railroad storage terminal. Visit the website at www.artistleague.org.

Contact the League at (910) 944-3979 for information on membership, classes, workshops and monthly gallery exhibits.