West Windsor, N.J. -- Lucas Kelly, assistant professor of Fine Arts at Mercer County Community College (MCCC), is featured in a new exhibit, "Prismatic," at the Arts Guild New Jersey, May 6 - June 7.  An opening reception will be held on Sunday, May 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Arts Guild, 1670 Irving Street, Rahway.

In addition to Professor Kelly, a Bordentown resident, other featured artists will include Elaine Longtemps of Brooklyn, NY, Fausto Sevila of Elizabeth, Wes Sherman of Denville, Andrew Werth of Princeton Junction, and Sara Wolfe of Jersey City.

The theme of the exhibit is to show how color shapes our world.  According to the Arts Guild’s description of the exhibit, “Color effects how and what we see, think, and feel. Research shows that the human eye can distinguish millions of colors. The theory of color is explained by the physics of light, but a big part of how we perceive color is determined by human physiology – the workings of our eyes and brain.”

In his work being displayed at the exhibit, Professor Kelly allows colors from everyday life that impress themselves in his memory to enter his paintings. For example, the particularly brilliant orange of a milk crate is mimicked in a number of his paintings. 

The artist establishes structures and systems within his paintings – strong, graphic elements that stand against atmospheric swatches of painting, which contradict, or sometimes enhance, a sense of depth and spaciousness in the painting. Also working to this effect is his use of complementary colors, which create complex spacial relationships in his work.

Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m., and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.