The art exhibit “elemental,” featuring mixed media paintings by Laura Anderson, LLCC assistant professor of art, opens today in LLCC’s James S. Murray Gallery. The public is invited to view the exhibit weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 12 and attend a reception on Thursday, Aug. 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Anderson’s work is inspired by the natural world, including its complexities, commonalities, mysteries and working processes. “We are part of nature, yet we’re set apart from it in many ways,” she explains. “My work explores the intersection of this duality, often via drawn or painted natural imagery combined with collaged artifacts and urban landscapes that reflect the man-made world.

“Working with collage, décollage, encaustic, charcoal, graphite and acrylic allows me to explore the history of process in my work via layering of structured collage elements with irregular lines, gestural brushstrokes and fluid forms that evoke the universal visual language that is evident everywhere in nature.”