Paintings in different styles and techniques adorned the walls at the opening reception for the Mattapoisett Area Artists’ exhibition at the Benjamin D. Cushing Community Center in Marion.

The group, founded in 2009, is an informal gathering of 8 to 12 artists from all over the South Coast who meet once a month at Ying Dynasty in Mattapoisett to talk about art and display their artwork.

Two of its members, David and Elvita Rocha, a husband and wife duo, were at the event to display their paintings.

David’s pastel drawings of the sea in Portugal and France take inspiration from his time abroad in the Navy. 

In his work, David embodies his fascination with the rhythms of the sea and how it “suggests of activity and the forces of nature and sea.”

Unlike David, Elvita’s paintings use acrylic paints and feature humans, such as her niece in “Girl in Garden with Marigolds” 

Elvita uses others as the focal point because she “can’t separate people from the world,” even going so far as to use herself as a model in the mirror when she can’t find a subject.

Even a piece like “Ghost Ship,” which, on first glance, does not appear to have a person in it, hides a portrait of a man underneath the acrylics disguised in the brushstrokes.

In the background, a record player spun music into the air as Mattapoisett resident Cheryl Anzaldi described her watercolors paintings on the walls and her love for the medium.

“I love the way the paint flows and the feelings of watercolor and the way it comes out,” said Anzaldi, who noted that with watercolor, if she makes a mistake, it’s a right mistake.

The soft, muted tones of her paintings reflect what she sees in her natural surroundings, such as in Brainard Marsh in Marion.

Mattapoisett Area Artists President Rebecca McCann, who also has watercolor and watercolor pencil paintings on display, took over the role after founder and Mattapoisett artist Dave Englund died last year.

She explained Englund started the group because he wanted to bring artists together in Mattapoisett.

The show is part of a monthly exhibition series organized by Marion resident Mary Ross through the community center.

Ross said that the shows are a way for artists to display their work in the community and that it's a place to “have people come and relax and have beautiful art.”

The exhibition is open until March 31.