The work of Jan Roberson will be on display at Thornton Oaks, with the opening reception scheduled for Wednesday.

The opening of “Maine — The Way Life IS” will be at 4 p.m. Feb. 7. The exhibit will be on display at Thornton Oaks, located at 25 Thornton Way, through March. The public is invited to attend this free event.

A resident of Harpswell, Roberson is inspired by a deep love of sea, woods and all things Maine. Her use of soft pastel brings a quiet realism to her many paintings, often including colorful morning and evening skies.

A graduate of The Waynflete School in Portland, she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She received her Bachelor in Fine Arts in 2005 from the University of Southern Maine. She also attended classes at Maine College of Art and Lyme Academy of Art. Roberson received additional instruction from several prominent artists, including Albert Handell, Robert Carsten, Richard McKinley and Lorenzo Chavez. In 2004, she traveled to Russia to study with internationally acclaimed pastelist Serguei Oussik.

Roberson was juried into The Pastel Society of America as an Associate Member. She has paintings in private collections in Maine, across the country, Canada and the United Kingdom. Her work has been shown in The Boothbay Regional Gallery, The Kittery Art Association Gallery and The Maine Art Gallery.

The exhibit will be open to the public during select times through March. People should cal the Thornton Oaks business office at (207) 373-4600 to find out times the exhibit is available for viewing.