COLUMBIANA – The Shelby County Arts Council is set to open its Connected by Inspiration Gallery Exhibit during a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. According to a press release from the SCAC, the gallery will feature the work of local artists Edna Sealy, Xander Booker and Brian Bohannon. Sealy, who is an SCAC art instructor, will serve as the exhibit’s curator.

The exhibit will be open to the public from Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., until Nov. 27.

In the press release, Sealy stated that Booker has influenced her work and Bohannon has often been inspired by her art.

Sealy is the head of the SCAC’s ArtAbilities program, which provides art instruction to students with special need throughout Shelby County. She also teaches classes for children at the SCAC and classes at the Pelham Senior Center.

“Her art is reflective of her love of nature and love of color,” the press release stated. “A student of Xander Booker, she loves creating collages that tell a story, and many will be on display in the exhibit. She is most known for her use of vivid colors in her artwork.”

Booker is currently a professional artist who also teaches at a local level. He specializes in painting and mixed media with collage elements.  His work has been included in the private collections of Ringo Starr, Billy Bob Thornton, Sarah Evans and has also been featured by the Mobile Museum of Art, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Birmimgham Center of Commerce. His work was also included in the international exhibit, “Art Singapore.”

Bohannon said much of his art is based off of nature and the spiritual teachings he learned from his childhood.

“My art consists a great deal of these themes,” Bohannon said. “From childhood, I have been drawn to painting and building collages. Nature is a constant in my body of work.”