The Hinesville Area Arts Council will host an art exhibit this month titled “Observations,” featuring the photographic and still-life paintings of artist Emily Scott-Graham.

The primary focus for Scott-Graham, who has been a resident of Hinesville for three years, is painting and photography, and she has an Associate of Arts in commercial art from Central Texas College. She is working toward a degree in art education at Armstrong State University. She also teaches youth art classes at the Hinesville Area Arts Council Gallery.

“Even though I had a lot of great teachers growing up, it was my high-school art teacher, Mrs. Lisherelli, that recognized some artistic talent in me and inspired me to teach,” Scott-Graham said in a news release. “I like helping children discover their potential that they may not know they had. I think that kids can make art at home, but coming to a class and learning a new technique can broaden a child’s imagination, which can help him or her to create future artworks in a new way.

“I enjoy the experimental aspect of photography,” she added. “Even if the camera set a particular way and the light is really beautiful outside, there is no guarantee that the photograph will come out the way I expected. With painting, I like mixing and building the layers of color to create an image. Certain colors can make a painting look very flat, or they can work together and give the painting a lot of volume and life. There is also more of a guarantee of how the artwork will turn out, and mistakes can be easily painted over.”

The exhibit will open with a free community reception from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at the Gallery, 102 Commerce St. in downtown Hinesville. “Observations” will remain on display through the month.

For more information, go to www.hinesvillearts.com or find Hinesville Area Arts Council on Facebook.