A long-standing tradition of the Associated Artists of Butler County is on tap next weekend with the opening of the 76th annual Nature & Wildlife exhibit.

The popular show opens with a reception at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at The Art Center, 344 S. Main St.

"The AABC Nature & Wildlife Show is our longest-running annual art exhibit, dating back to 1934 and always a favorite in Butler," said Paul Scanlon, president of the AABC.

"We're particularly excited to feature local artist Tom Sheehan in this year's show, as he's a well known, very accomplished artist and long-standing AABC member," Scanlon added.

Sheehan, of Butler, first exhibited his work with the art association in 1978 when its shows were held at the Butler Public Library. His tenure with the AABC also includes conducting a variety of art classes over the years.

"My last major exhibit was in 1995 when I exhibited 265 pieces of work ranging from drawings, watercolor, oils and mixed media. The subject matter ranged from realism to abstract expressionism," Sheehan said.

The goal of that last exhibit was to answer the critics who persisted in commenting on his dissimilar styles, he said.

"So I did six shows in one, all different in approach, with 40 or more pieces in each. I guess it was my way of saying, 'Don't confuse style with content,'" he said.

His wildlife work is the largest of the three parts of his current collection on display. "Some of the work was generated from commissions for a collection of ducks I did for a hunter in Texas and that led to a commission for a collection of brown pelicans for another Texan," Sheehan said.

Sheehan's offerings in this show cover a variety of subjects, shown in about 36 pieces.

"The show is flora and fauna, a collection of graphite drawings of wildlife, flowers and landscapes," he said.

The drawing "Iris Graphite" that appears to be an engraving is not to be missed.

"It is an oversized flower created in pencil point like an engraving ¿ very time consuming. I worked on it for the better part of a year off and on," said Sheehan of the $1,600 work.

There is also a five-piece set of landscapes, listed for $700.

"These, as are all my landscape pieces entirely imagined, (they) are however influenced by the large amount of time I have spent outdoors since childhood and the awareness of the beauty in even the simplest of things," he said.

"I work from life and in my perception of it there have been and are times when I look back at things I have done and wonder myself where my head was at when I did it," he added.

Other galleries at The Art Center will feature different exhibits.

"We're also looking forward to AABC member Oscar Castro's exhibition of some of his private art collection in the Members Gallery, which includes a variety of paintings by a number of international artists," Scanlon said.

The remainder of the Nature & Wildlife exhibit features all artistic media and draws from the talent of Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania artists.

The exhibit will continue through Oct. 8.

An opening night celebration for the "Art of Cinema" exhibit will take place Friday in The Art Center's Underground Gallery. That exhibit will run through Sept. 30.

<B>WHO: </B>The Associated Artists of Butler County<B>WHAT: </B>The 76th annual Nature & Wildlife Exhibit<B>WHEN: </B>Sept. 10 to Oct. 8, with an artist reception at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Regular gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays.<B>WHERE: </B>The Art Center, 344 S. Main St.<B>INFORMATION: </B>Call 724-283-6922 or visit www.aabcartcenter.com.