“BAYOU” (egg tempera on panel 18 x15 inches): This work by Mavis Smith can be seen in “Think Again,” at Monmouth University’s DiMattio Gallery, through October 17, with the opening on Friday September 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. The artist will be giving a talk at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday October 2, at the gallery, 400 Cedar Ave West in Long Branch.

Mavis Smith, the “honored artist” at the Phillips’ Mill 85th Annual Juried Art Show, has new work on display at Monmouth University’s DiMattio Gallery. Titled “Think Again,” the exhibit will run through October 17, with the opening event set for Friday September 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. The Phillips Mill show will run from Saturday, September 20, through Saturday, October 25 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Mavis Smith will be giving a talk at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday October 2, at the gallery, 400 Cedar Ave West in Long Branch.

An American Arts Quarterly review of “Hidden Realities,” the 2012 exhibit at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., describes “an accomplished tempera painter” who “depicts calm, stylized figures, often young girls, in quiet interiors” and “whose implicit scenarios suggest contemporary fairy tales.”

According to the artist herself, “It’s not so much specific people or events, but the general sense of unknown depths that intrigues me. It does not have to be dark heroic acts toward total strangers; simple people rising to extraordinary occasions are equally in the mix.” About working with egg tempera, she said she has “a love/hate relationship …. It’s a labor intensive medium, but the luminous effects you can achieve makes it seem worth it to me. I build up layer upon layer of thicker paint, alternating with sheer washes of pigment — back and forth, back and forth. The actual process is very meditative, and I believe it contributes to my subconscious imagination coming into play.”

“RED ROOM” (egg tempera on panel 16 x12 inches): According to the artist, “We come into contact with dozens of people on a daily basis, catch their eyes for a brief moment and move on, never knowing the intricate accumulation of experience that forms their reality. My work is about that moment — hinting at a narrative, yet remaining intentionally elusive.” Mavis Smith’s new exhibit, “Think Again,” will be at Monmouth University’s DiMattio Gallery through October 17, with the opening on Friday September 19, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Mavis Smith studied at the Pratt Institute in the 1970s, and in addition to her solo show at the Michener, has exhibited her work in Holland and Switzerland as well as Santa Fe, New York City, and several venues in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is also an illustrator and author of children’s books, having authored 10 and illustrated some 75. This exhibition samples a range of work from years past, as well as several new pieces, including both paintings and works on paper as well as some recent sculptural works incorporating egg shells.

“Hidden Realities” was reviewed in Town Topics, February 22, 2012.