JOSEPH — A solo exhibit by artist Joan Gilbert opens Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture in Joseph. The exhibit, “Wallowa Lake 55×55,” is the culmination of a three-year artistic journey exploring Wallowa Lake while experimenting with media, styles and techniques.

The exhibit will begin with a reception from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 1 and continues through Nov. 12. The Josephy Center gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 403 N. Main St.

In 2019, in the middle of a career as a successful graphic designer/illustrator, Gilbert said she “took a life gamble on art,” according to a press release. She gave herself three years to explore different mediums and styles and set out to produce 55 pieces of art, with Wallowa Lake as the subject, by her 55th birthday.

Gilbert has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Oregon University and a BFA in graphic design from Oregon State University. She grew up in La Grande — with a year-long hiatus at age 8 to Paris, France — and has lived in Enterprise for the last 20 years.

Her long career in graphic design includes over 100 regional clients, permanent exhibits for the Wallowology! Natural History Discovery Center in Joseph, and two permanent exhibits for the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture. She has volunteered teaching art in schools and camps across the region.

Gilbert has written and/or illustrated other children’s books, most recently illustrations for “The Word Gobblers” by Catherine Matthias.