PARIS — Brett Kearney, a local artist who has sold paintings across the United States and in the Middle East, hosted an exhibit in Paris, Idaho, on Saturday to showcase his new work. 

From noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Bear Lake Hermitage Gallery of Art and Ice Cream Shoppe, the community had an opportunity to meet Kearney and admire his newest paintings. 

Kearney said the works he showcased Saturday depicted mostly "the beauty and wonder of the world" around him. He spent the last year working on these pieces. The paintings on display were for sale.

Kearney is an experienced painter who studied art at Utah Tech University, California State University, San Bernardino, and the University of Utah. Brett said early training by Harrison T. Groutage influenced his artistic process.

"I like to find that line between realism and abstraction, that fine line where it's still realistic, but it's got a lot of abstract," he said. 

Kearney's parents were both artists, so he started making his own art from an early age.

"I just kind of was mesmerized by the art that my parents did, and it just felt like naturally it was the path for me," he said.

Saturday marked the first time Kearney exhibited in Bear Lake. He lives in Dingle and said he wanted to contribute to enhancing the local art scene. 

Kearney is also a commercial architect, and over the last few years he has been transitioning from architecture back to making art full-time. 

"[This exhibit was] a chance [for people] to get out and get a little culture in [their] lives," he said. "The woman who owns the gallery, Victoria, likes to say that viewing art is good for the soul. I [was] hoping the community [would] really, really enjoy seeing this art. I [was] very excited to show it."