“WATER SHARING”: This painting by Nancie Gunkelman is featured in the exhibit “Same Moon: Diverse Voices of Nature,” at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, which runs through October 22. A reception will be held at the Center on Friday, September 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

D&R Greenway Land Trust’s newest exhibition, “Same Moon: Diverse Voices of Nature,” shows how artists, whether in China, Africa, or the U.S., view nature through divergent lenses. Artists Kenneth J. Lewis Sr., Nancie Gunkelman, and Chih Yu Fan are unified in their appreciation for nature. Some of the artwork for this exhibition has been shipped from China. A reception will be held on Friday, September 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton.

“In today’s world, where global information and issues are in front of us every day, it’s important that we learn to look for the common values we share rather than our differences,” says D&R Greenway President and CEO Linda Mead. “These three very different artists from diverse parts of the globe remind us that caring about nature is a value that belongs to all of us.”

“The artists in this exhibit evoke nature in three very different styles, showing how a common love of land can be celebrated in myriad ways, from Chinese calligraphy to photorealistic painting to large-scale abstracts,” says Curator Diana Moore.

Kenneth J. Lewis Sr. is a self-instructed artist who began painting on canvas at the age of 47. On New Year’s Day 2008, he painted his very first piece, and called it Contemplation. He quickly learned he had a latent gift that he saw more as a hobby from 2008 until the death of his mother in 2012. Lewis’ mother could draw, yet she never attempted to embrace or further explore her talent. He knew that he had to create not only for himself, but also for his late mother, and for generations that follow. Since discovering his passion, Lewis has had a prolific output.

Fascinated with Chinese painting and calligraphy, Chih Yu Fan was not able to practice art as a poor boy living in a small village in the northeastern part of China. It was not until he retired as a well-published professor of advertising and an inductee in the Advertising Hall of Fame from the Taiwan Advertising Society that he finally had the chance to pursue his passion. In 2011, his wife of more than 60 years passed away. With the sudden loss of his life partner, painting has helped him to cope with the emptiness, and has been his outlet for healing.

Fan is inspired by nature’s beauty and tranquility and memories of his village.

Nancie Gunkelman has lived and worked in Africa, first as a Peace Corps volunteer doing medical illustration for the Nairobi Medical Training Center, and later working for nonprofits in health education. She has based her “Africa Nostalgia Series” on experiences abroad. During her son’s recent Peace Corps service in West Africa, she was reignited with the desire to depict scenes from the developing world, albeit in an abstract way.

To RSVP for the September 29 reception, call (609) 924-4646 or visit rsvp@drgreenway.org.