Watercolor Artist Ali Cavanaugh will display her work in a show titled “Quiet Tide” from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 5. (Submitted image)

NEW BERLIN — Golden Artist Colors will be featuring the work of acclaimed watercolor portrait artist Ali Cavanaugh in the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery, located at 188 Bell Road in New Berlin, with an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 5.

The exhibition includes portraits of friends and family from Cavanaugh's personal collection, painted between 2006 and the present. The range of works shows the ever-evolving nature of Cavanaugh's expressive style, ranging from pieces with limited color palettes that showcase her layering techniques, darker-hued works, paintings utilizing a bright palette, and highly-detailed renderings as well as portraits with a looser, flowing style.

Cavanaugh said she's always been intrigued and inspired by people and the composition of the human body and face – something she attributes to hearing loss she experienced in childhood.

"When I was two, I had spinal meningitis, and it took my hearing in my right ear and part of my hearing in my left ear," she explained. "I really have to read body language, I always have, and I think having my hearing loss really helped me be in tune with compositions of the human body, like when someone’s talking and then I look at people’s emotions and their eyes. I think that has really been the biggest influence in my work. I love people. I guess in having to always be more attentive to others whenever I’m communicating with them, that has in turn made me love people."