The grand opening of a new exhibit featuring paintings, unique photographic works and wood carvings happens Saturday, Feb. 9, at Off The Wall Gallery, 411 Main St.

Each Saturday in February, gallery-goers can see one of the artists in action and learn how they create their pieces. The exhibit will be up through Feb. 29.

Rich, abstract paintings by Jody Ahrens, Freya Hite’s cloudscapes and landscapes, Lynn Pavelka’s photographs on canvas, paintings by Mary Kollman and Bill Wolmutt’s intricate wood-carved sculptures, canes and stringed instruments, make up this beautiful exhibit.

Ahrens often uses deep hues of reds and purples in her highly textured abstract oil paintings. Sometimes she adds metals and gold leaf to her paintings.

“I’m all about texture. I use everything from nails to fabrics to cement,” Ahrens said.

Ahrens begins by arranging the various textures in such a way as to “look pleasing.” Then she glues the pieces down.

“When I get to the painting process, it’s purely a matter of discovery — discovering what is there. I do not have a preconceived notion of what this painting is going to look like. It evolves,” Ahrens said. “One of the reasons my abstracts are a little bit different than most, I apply solid landscape principles to the abstract design.”

Kollman has been learning some of those abstract concepts from Ahrens. Kollman is also an accomplished watercolorist. Her pieces in the exhibit range from a watercolor titled “Sunset on Mt. Garfield” — a realistic portrayal of the mountain draped in sun-cast pink, red and purple colors — to oil abstracts.

Pavelka brings photography to the exhibit — pictures that look a lot like paintings.

Pavelka’s photographs are mostly printed on canvas.

“It gives them depth — you don’t have the glare from the glass,” Pavelka said.

Pavelka finds her subject matter while hiking on Grand Mesa, in the Silverton area, on the California coast or in a peach orchard.

On one of her hikes outside of Silverton, Pavelka came across a pond where she noticed algae blooming. Pavelka captures the mirror reflection of flowers and clouds in the pond.

In other of her works, Pavelka has flipped two photographs to create those mirror images.

“I find you get a feeling like you’re there instead of just looking at a picture,” Pavelka said.

Pavelka has recently started experimenting with oil paints, using a palette knife to apply a little “rougher texture and depth,” to the photographs.

Hite paints mostly in oil, but also works with pastels. The pieces she’s showing at Off The Wall are mostly landscape scenes — some from Mesa Lakes, some from Utah.

She’s also included a surreal painting of Marie Antoinette, as well as a few of her ethereal cloudscapes.

Wolmutt does intricate carving of hardwoods — some exotic, some American — to make his sculptures, stringed instruments and canes.

Each of the artists, except Kollman, will be at the grand opening in the afternoon Saturday. The opening will go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.