While many draw a line between the liberal arts and the sciences, Laura Kelleher crosses over it with paint rush in hand. The Mattapoisett native will finish her degree in mathematics from Salem State University in December and currently has around 20 pieces of artwork on display at the Mattapoisett Library.

Kelleher, 22, said she often tries to insert some math into her work. How she does it is hard to explain, said Kelleher, “but my professors say they can see it.”

As a child, Kelleher was often absorbed in an art project. She went on to take art at Old Rochester Regional High School and continued with art classes in college.

“I really learned a lot about myself through my artwork, about my ideas of the world,” she said. “It’s nice to just have something to go to. However you’re feeling, there’s always going to be a piece of paper that you can put anything down on.”

At school, Kelleher sets up a space in her room to work on her art. When she’s home, she uses the office where her father, an architect, built his business.

The soon-to-be graduate admits that art can be something of an obsession for her, working for eight or ten hours straight on a piece.

“It’s a little bit of compulsiveness,” she said.

Sometimes a painting or drawing will come out as she expected it to, while others take a different turn.

“The owl,” she says pointing to a painting propped on a library bookshelf, “was originally supposed to be a Mother Nature piece, and it came out as an owl flying into a tree.”

Kelleher is generally OK with a piece coming out differently than she expected. Since college, her professors have encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and push herself in both the materials she uses and the subjects she paints.

For a recent collage, said, “I actually found silvery shiny stuff on the side of the road while I was driving.”

Learning to incorporate unusual materials or new perspectives into her art contributes to the already eclectic feel of Kelleher’s pieces. There are more traditional portraits as well as a painting inspired by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.

“A lot of it is powerful. I’d say it’s beautiful, too,” said Kelleher. “Nothing really completely goes together. I’m still young. I haven’t really figured out my style.”

Kelleher will speak about her work at the Mattapoisett Library on Friday, Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. Her exhibit will be on display through the month of August.