After the snow melts and the winds die down, the artists at Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery will be ready to celebrate spring with their upcoming exhibit, Living Things.

The artists will kick off the new exhibit with a public reception from 5-7 p.m., April 19.

“All of my work is about animals,” said Heather Ward, the newest artist to be represented at Karen Wray Fine Art. “They’re all so different and unique. There’s something amazing about each one.”

Ward explained that she tries to take all her own reference photos, even if they are of zoo animals.

“Living in Los Alamos has given me a great opportunity to photograph wild animals, too – mostly deer. One day this winter I went into the canyon behind my house to set up my wildlife cam, and I took my regular camera with me. I knew deer lived down there, but that day I counted nine at once,” Ward said. “They saw me and kept their distance. I crossed the stream away from them so I could watch them and take photos. Then one large doe crossed over to my side and went up the hill and behind and above me. A smaller doe and two fawns (I could see their spots under their winter coats) followed her. There the four of them stood, watching me just as I was watching them. I took many great photos of them, and soon they walked away. It was an amazing experience. Someday I hope to see an elk, too, or catch a cougar or bear on my wildlife cam.”

Ward is a self-taught artist who has been seriously working on her drawings for seven years. She has a degree in Math from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has lived in Los Alamos for 10 years.

‘Out of the Jungle’ by Heather Ward

When she had children she started to take her art more seriously, and has shown her drawings locally at Village Arts and in several out of state shows.

“Getting my work into a gallery is something that I’ve been thinking of doing for years,” she said. “I’ve been working with scratchboard since Christmas. It’s fun, exciting and different. It’s a lot like drawing.”

Ward’s newest scratchboard pieces are available at Karen Wray Fine Art.

Many of the other artists represented at Karen Wray Fine Art have work that celebrates the coming of spring.

TK Thompson will have a 16×20 color print of a Mariposa Lily taken at the Valle Caldera National Park. As the weather warms up, Thompson has been capturing sweeping panoramas of the full moon and fog in the valley.

‘Ringtail Lemurs’ by Heather Ward

Sec Sandoval paints a lot of flowers because his late wife was an avid gardener who enjoyed his flower paintings.

“I don’t keep up with the garden like I used to, but every spring the daffodils still come up. I did a few paintings where they were coming in through the snow,” Sandoval said.

The Reception for Living Things is 5-7 p.m. April 19 at Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery, 1475 Central Ave., Suite 125 in downtown Los Alamos.

For more information, call 505-660-6382 or visit www.karenwrayfineart.com.