Reception will mark Hempfield painter’s first solo exhibition

Surrealistic painter Stephanie Oplinger will hold her first solo exhibition, “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” at the Greensburg Art and Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road.

An opening reception will take place 6-8 p.m. July 11, featuring live music by Andrew P. DeBroeck and models showing Oplinger’s wearable art sculptures.

The Hempfield artist’s exhibition continues through July 31 and can be viewed weekdays 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oplinger, whose work is part of the Greater Latrobe Senior High School’s permanent special art collection, is featuring nearly two dozen paintings in this collection.

She describes the imagery as “deeply dreamy and surreal.”

With a title similar to Shakespeare’s play, the collection aims, Oplinger says, to evoke “feelings of starry summer nights and the strange webs we weave in our dreams.”

Her work features images of human figures in relation to nature, space and narrative, and is, she notes, deeply intense and emotional.

The reception will mark the first time live models show her wearable art, which includes an evening gown made of 2,000 spoons, producing an effect resembling dragon scales, Oplinger says.

“Escapism is a major part of what I love about art and writing. Our imaginations give us a space to step back from our real world problems and limitation, take a breather, and think about what is happening to us in more abstract ways. And oftentimes, imagination is the very thing that empowers us to solve our real life problems,” Oplinger says.

Oplinger’s primary medium of choice is acrylic paint, with work expanding into ink and charcoal, wearable 3-D art, writing and film, as well as projects advocating for survivors of human trafficking.

Details: 724-836-3074 or thepalacetheatre.org/ggcc/