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An art teacher from Ohio had the rare opportunity to spend two months participating in an artist in residency program at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute of Tremont.

Deborah Blind studied her surrounding environment and produced a series of work that reflected the nature and atmosphere of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Beginning Sunday through Feb. 3, Blind and Tremont will sponsor a free art exhibit at the Townsend Visitors Center to display the results of her residency.

The art exhibit will kick off on Sunday with an artist's reception at the Visitors Center from 1 to 4 p.m.

Blind plans to include 14 oil and acrylic paintings, 12 drawings from her sketch book and 25 photographs that were captured on site at Tremont.

"I feel very lucky to have lived in the national park and produced my own artwork in this peaceful environment, as well as have the opportunity to participate in the educational programs," Blind said. "This place, the people and staff are all very special."

Blind is the first long term visual artist who has completed a residency with Tremont. The idea of the residency originated from Blind's need to complete an independent study to receive a continuing education license from the state of Ohio.

"Deborah was our first ever summer artist-in-residence. We seemed to be a perfect fit for one another because she thrived on the inspiration of the natural beauty she found here in the Smokies, and we thrived on the energy she brought to involving youth with the arts," said Jeremy Lloyd, summer camp director at Tremont.

Blind, an AP studio art teacher at Springboro High School, decided to test the waters and reached out to Tremont in the hopes of working in an educational environment and testing her skills as an artist.

"Tremont is a residential science and research center, so I had the opportunity to pursue botanical illustration with the assistance from the staff on the botanical sciences," said Blind. "I have always been interested in the integration of science and art, so it was interesting to work and use observation skills that exist in both, as they often get torn apart in the modern world. It was great to work with people that have the same passions."

Tremont was able to use Blind's skill as an artist and teacher to work with the youth and adults who visited Tremont throughout her residency. In particular, Blind led environment oriented sessions that included nature drawings, observational sketches, cartooning and sketch books, all focused on capturing the feel and atmosphere of the park's surroundings.

"This benefited us because youth were able to work alongside her and learn techniques in scientific drawing," said Lloyd. "When our summer campers searched for a giant species of crayfish in the Hazel Creek watershed, Deborah was able to draw the specimen as a record for The drawing is to scale and shows just how huge the crayfish is."

During her time on the Tremont campus, Blind used Plein Air painting, or working on location to capture the fleeting light that occurs in nature, to capture what she describes as "peaceful surroundings."

"Plein air usually reflects two to three hours of work and makes the artist commit to what they are producing and get it done in a timely manner," said Blind.

The art exhibit is free and open to the public. Plans are also underway to reproduce all of the painting, with all proceeds going to continue the mission of Tremont.

For more information, call SMCVB at 1-800-525-6834, 865-448-6134 or visit the bureau online at www.smokymountains.org.