Arts on the Desert welcomes the community to attend Artist Cindy Brower’s exhibit opening and artist reception, “Step Inside.”

The event is Saturday, April 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Gallery on Way at 12990 E. Shea Blvd.

The event is free and open to the public where everyone is welcome to meet Brower and experience her beautiful and colorful paintings and photography in the gallery on the campus of Saint Anthony on the Desert Episcopal Church, according to a press release.

The exhibit will run through Friday, May 31.

The exhibit

Brower’s paintings take inspiration from her Arizona roots - sweeping landscapes with a surrealistic twist.

“My paintings are a distillation of my dreams, visions and life experiences. They represent my ongoing struggle with the duality of life and my efforts to find the creative force in all things, ‘good’ and ‘bad,’ that challenge us to grow, expand and recreate our world,” says Brower.

“We cannot stand in light without casting a shadow, each is dependent on the other. My goal is to embrace light and darkness with equal grace, communicating life’s balancing acts: humor against gravity; confidence against uncertainty; unity against isolation; love against fear; pitting our feelings of chaos against our search for peace. In my paintings, for those who seek, an image of hope can always be found.”

Brower earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and an associate in applied science from Scottsdale Community College where she also studied painting with Robert You.

She has studios in Prescott and Scottsdale and shows her work throughout Arizona.

A portion of Brower’s sales support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine through You Are the Angel, a nonprofit helping to provide food, medical supplies and support to people in Ukraine.

For more information about the nonprofit, visit youaretheangel.org.

Arts on the Desert presents exhibits from local artists at The Gallery on the Way and promotes continuous learning while also acting as a place of restoration and renewal where all may belong.

For more information, visit st-anthony.net/arts-on-the-desert.html or call 480-451-0860 to coordinate a viewing of the gallery at 12990 E. Shea Blvd. in Scottsdale, Monday through Thursday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.