BY PAULA

MONTGOMERY

Special to The Pilot

The Sandhills' own Beth E. Roy, the painter, and Dian Moore, the potter, were the featured artists at the Campbell House Galleries during the Palustris Festival and continuing into April.

Growing up in rural Michigan, artist Beth E. Roy acquired the foundation that allowed her paintings to come to life today. She obtained her professional art training at Austin Peay State University and Christopher Newport College.

Roy's first foray into art revealed a natural talent for manipulation of color and texture. She commonly expresses herself by using local scenes to translate landscapes to canvas. Roy also takes advantage of her many travels to provide inspiration for her pieces.

Roy began riding horses at an early age. She and her husband, Tom, currently live on a horse farm in Vass. Her life-long relationship with horses has allowed her to capture them in many different mediums, and they are often the subject of her works.

Initially a watercolorist, Roy has since moved to oil.

"I like oil because it lets me play with multiple colors and express moods effortlessly," says Roy. "Oil painting is the means I use to express how I see the world. I am always looking for the play of light and shadows and love to push the contrast between them. Ultimately, I seek the thrill of chiaroscuro in every work."

Roy has done many commissioned works, and in 2010 and 2011, Capital Bank purchased eight paintings for their private collection.

Dian Moore has been a working potter for more than 40 years. She studied at the Cuyahoga Art Institute in Ohio and has attended various pottery clinics, both in Ohio and North Carolina. Her work can be found in galleries and gift shops throughout the eastern United States.

"The Painter and The Potter," featuring works by Beth E. Roy and Dian Moore, opens Friday, March 30, with a reception to meet the artists from 6 to 8 p.m.

The reception, which is free and open to the public, is hosted by the Southern Pines Civic Club. The exhibit is on display through April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

The Campbell House Galleries are located at 482 East Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For more information about this exhibit, contact the Arts Council of Moore County at (910) 692-2787 or visit the website www.mooreart.org.