SIDNEY — Michelle Walker will be the featured artist during September and October in the Gateway Arts Council Gallery, 216 N. Miami Ave.

This show will comprise original watercolor paintings of cities, villages and landmarks along Interstate 75. Walker has taken the summer to stop at some of her favorite spots along I-75 from Cincinnati to Lima and capture them on paper. There will be 75 works of art, all of which will be for sale, and the prices will be either $75 or $175.

The exhibit will open Sept. 16 with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit will close Oct. 21. Hours are weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the reception and the exhibit are free.

Walker was born in 1962 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she lived and studied until 1986, at which point she moved to Ohio to start her career, get married and raise two children. Her passion for art started at an early age. As a shy five-year-old in kindergarten, she was encouraged by her teacher to paint during recess. As a child, she enjoyed the freedom of self-expression in mixing and playing with color. In 2008, when the economy shifted, Walker changed her career from interior design to pursue her life-long passion to be an artist. She went to workshops all over the U.S., Canada and France and painted and drew daily to develop her skills as an artist.

In 2012, she went back to college for her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Cincinnati. Returning to college at 50 was the most difficult thing she has done. In grad school, she learned how to go beyond painting techniques and how to think and produce art that had substance and meaning. She said that going back to school at 50 made her feel like she was 5 again and was given a chance to live her second life through artistic experimentation and color.

Being an admirer of Mother Nature, Walker loves spending time outdoors. Her inspiration is drawn from her surroundings and everyday life in Ohio. She experiments with many techniques and utilizes various materials to achieve the desired effect. She enjoys working with oil, watercolors and inks and loves to balance unique colors, movement, energy and texture in her work.