Portraits, an exhibition by Aaron Holz begins Monday, August 24, at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City.

Portraits included in the exhibition are of friends and family of the artist with one notable exception: “Lovely Still”, a diptych of two actors, Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn, presented in character as Robert & Mary from the film Lovely Still produced in Omaha in December 2008. “As an artist,” says Mr. Holz, “I am interested in the psychology of each sitter and the narrative that their expression or coupling implies. “

Using a combination of traditional oil paints, resin and acrylics, the portraits Aaron creates have an unusual physical depth and brilliance. The works have been described as hybrids, combining the disparate forms of optical art and traditional portraiture.

Aaron exhibits regularly in New York and Boston and has shown at Columbia University; General Electric’s World Headquarters; and in Basel, Switzerland through Scope, Basel. Locally, he has exhibited at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha; The Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney; and The Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, where one of his works is held in the permanent collection. Holz is Assistant Professor of painting in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The public is invited to meet the artist at a reception during the AppleJack Festival on Saturday, September 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. Portraits will remain on exhibit through Thursday, October 15, 2009.

The Kimmel Harding Nelson gallery is located at 801 3rd Corso in Nebraska City and is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments at other times are encouraged: please call ahead. Both the exhibit and the reception are free, handicapped accessible, and open to the public. Exhibited artworks are available for sale. For more information, call 402-874-9600 or visit www.khncenterforthearts.org.