'Catching the Light'

An exhibit of oil paintings by Pratima Rao, of Holmdel, is at the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury. "Catching the Light" features familiar landscapes in oil painted at parks, marinas and other locations such as Bayonet Farm, Holmdel Park, a Red Bank marina, Belford harbor and Monmouth Park racetrack.

"At the dock, Belford" The show runs through April 29 at the guild, located at 620 Broad St. Hours are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday until 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Rao prefers to paint landscapes en plein air, exploring the effects of light while dealing with the challenges of painting outdoors.

She feels that plein air paintings have a vitality of their own because they capture the feeling of the scene quickly, with the atmosphere conveyed through color notes that would otherwise be impossible to capture.

Rao is an engineer by profession but left a 20-year career at AT&T to pursue her passion for painting. An exhibiting member at the guild, she is also a member of Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast and an associate member of Oil Painters of America.

"Marlu Lake, Thompson Park" Rao's paintings can be viewed online at http://pratimajrao.googlepages.com/home.