Philadelphia artist Blaine Anderson will exhibit his paintings at AerieArt Gallery July 10 through July 29, with an opening reception from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, July 10. Anderson’s work combines elements of realism and abstract expressionism through layers of figuration and text to create a psychological investigation of how we see others.

What frequently begins as a session of sketching the model directly onto canvas becomes, over time, a grappling with the assumptions, value judgments, desires, fantasies, memories, and connections Anderson experiences during the painting process. Elements accrue on top of elements, erasing some while highlighting others. The result is a painting that makes the viewer feel like they are encountering another person.

Originally a sculptor, Anderson switched to painting while pursuing a fine arts degree. But he has retained a sculptor’s sense for drawing the body’s curves and lines. His figures display a sensuous musculature more like that found in preparatory sketches for working in three dimensions. His painting draws attention to the subtle curves and grooves of the male body.

Blaine Anderson holds degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. He has presented several individual and group shows in the Philadelphia area, where he currently resides, and in Salt Lake City.

Aerie Art is located at 45½ Lake Ave. in Rehoboth Beach. Call 302-227-5376 for more information.

Anne Hanna Show at Cloud 9

Cloud 9 Restaurant will show new and recent watercolor paintings of well known regional artist Anne Hanna from July 9 through Labor Day. A champagne reception will be held on Sunday, July 10 from 3-5 p.m.

Hanna received her formal training at the Central School Art and Design in London and at Indiana University and in workshops with most of America’s most famous watercolorists. She has exhibited widely in the Washington-Baltimore area and locally. In 2004, she was selected among 8 artists to represent Qorographics Art Reproductions at the Art Expo in New York City. She is the founder of the popular art film series Art in the Afternoon, sponsored by the South Coastal Library in Bethany.

Cloud 9 Restaurant is located at 234 Rehoboth Ave.