By Ariana Johnson, student news writer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Anne Montgomery Austin, a Louisville artist, will showcase her artwork at Campbellsville University April 13-21 at CU's Badgett Academic Support Center at 110 University Drive, Campbellsville.

The event is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Her exhibit will be in the Learning Commons in the Badgett Academic Support Center on the main floor.

Austin, the daughter of Guy Montgomery, an associate member of the CU Board of Trustees, will begin her show April 13 following Heritage Day on campus. The Heritage Day program is at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 13 in Ransdell Chapel at 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville.

Austin started her art career at a young age, when her mother enrolled her in several art classes. She attended Ballard High School where her interest in painting grew dramatically due to the encouragement of her art teacher, Dennis Whitehouse. From his teachings, Austin was introduced to her favorite medium, oil paints, and was encouraged to pursue art after graduating high school.

Austin continued on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 2005. She majored in painting, and studied photography as well as enjoyed bookmaking and glass blowing.

Since her graduation, Austin worked as a real estate agent in her father's family business in Louisville and also traveled extensively in Europe. While spending extended periods of time in Europe on several occasions, Austin always took the rich culture opportunities there to continue her education in art, architecture and art history.

Inspired by nighttime landscapes, Austin uses the limited palette of dark colors, which allows her to fully explore the nuances of blacks, browns and dark blues, while achieving a mood of quietness and loneliness. Her paintings of factories are her attempt to find beauty in traditionally thought of “ugly” buildings.

Intrigued also by satellite images of cities at nighttime for their linear patterns as well as abstract qualities, Austin hopes to use these macro images together against the viewer's sense of isolation while viewing her paintings.

This will be her first showing since her graduation in 2005.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 63 undergraduate programs, 17 master's degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.