St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC) will present Gotta’ Have Heart: Magnify, a show featuring a collection of photographs of contemporary floral images celebrating the creative growth of our artists. The show is on display from February 2-23, 2019. A free public reception will be held at Sophie’s Kensington Gallery on February 2, which includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. Photographs in the show are shot through a magnifying glass to create atmospheric effects of light and shadow. Supported by Outside the Lens, Sophie’s photographers learn technical skills and composition to capture compelling shots, while gaining confidence in using digital media.

Outside the Lens is a digital media and educational nonprofit that encourages those behind the lens to tell their stories through photography and other digital media. Three guest artists, Jennifer Paul McLeroy, Linda Barton and Heather Lara, will also have artwork featured in the gallery. Jennifer Paul McLeroy, who won first place in the 2018 Alley Cat Art Walk ‘s community art contest for Paint & Pallet, enjoys painting animals and nature. Linda Barton creates wind-chimes made from repurposed vintage china, found objects, fused glass, and stained glass. Heather Lara uses photo-realism on scratchboard to capture the inherent dignity of animals with painstaking and exquisite attention to detail. Heather will demonstrate the artistry of scratchboard on Saturday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m.