The public is invited to meet Penny Gupton at a reception Friday, March 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., and view her watercolor paintings.

Many other members of the Village Gallery will be attending the festivities and refreshments will be served.

Gupton loves to paint. Her watercolors, pen and ink, and oils capture the essence of whatever landscape is in front of her.

With vibrant color and a mastery of light, her paintings draw the viewer into the beauty and serenity of some spectacular places that she has called home.

A native Californian, Gupton spent her early childhood in Australia. She studied art and architecture at Glendale College and UCLA and continued her art education after her marriage to Miles Gupton. Together they opened stores in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., and Kona, Hawaii, where they raised their children. During those years, all her paintings went to fundraising for charity. After the death of her husband, Gupton set about making a living as an artist, a decision she has never regretted.

Gupton has produced work ranging from murals, commercial art and fine art to commissions and portraits for clients across the United States and around the world. She was Artist in Residence for the Kona Village Resort until the tsunami of 2011 temporarily closed the resort. She taught weekly classes in Kona and workshops all over the U.S. for the past 15 years and now teaches in Sedona. Gupton joined the Village Gallery soon after arriving in Northern Arizona last year, and has begun to capture the magnificent high desert red rock formations in watercolor.

The Village Gallery of Local Artists is located at 6512 SR 179 in the Village of Oak Creek at the roundabout on State Route 179 and Cortez. For more information, call 284-1416 or visit sedonalocalartists.com.