'New Paintings of France'

An exhibition of more than two dozen works by plein air painter Peggy Mason is at Beauregard Fine Art gallery in Rumson.

An opening reception for "Peggy Mason: New Paintings of France" will be held 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, at the gallery, located at 109 East River Road.

The exhibit will run through Aug. 23.

Mason, a resident of Atlantic Highlands, is a self-taught artist who finds inspiration in the French 19th century masters Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley.

Contemporary masters who inspire her include the highly respected American plein air impressionists Kevin MacPherson and C.W. Mundy.

The current exhibit documents Mason's recent visit to France in spring 2006 and includes works from 2005.

With her spontaneous brushwork and candid color, Mason depicts the landscapes of Etretat, Giverny and Honfluer among other locations.

Mason explains that after a 2002 trip to Monet's gardens at Giverny, where she took a painting workshop, she decided to pursue art seriously.

"The trip was a dream come true and the workshop was a good starting point for me," she writes in an artist statement. "I learned to use a limited palette of the three primary colors and was taught how to mix other colors from them. Today I still only use red, yellow and blue in 95 percent of my work."

Summer hours at Beauregard Fine Art are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, or by appointment. For information, call (732) 450-0994 or visit www.beauregard-fineart.com.