It might sound like a contradiction, but Prairie Mountains will be seen later this month in Portage la Prairie. That's the name of Faye Hildebrand's art exhibit at the Portage and District Arts Centre's main gallery.

"I've entitled it Prairie Mountains," Hildebrand says. "It may seem kind of odd, but it's all about the huge cloud formations that we get, especially in the summer. One time I was coming home from Winnipeg and there was just a mountain of cloud over Portage. So, it really stayed with me."

She notes she enjoys painting because it gives her a good feeling and sense of accomplishment.

Hildebrand adds she held her first solo show in 1988 with a Manitoba Arts Council grant to create it. She then moved to Brandon and worked with distance delivery education, and hadn't done much while there. But when she moved back here she found more time to paint. Hildebrand describes it as a part of who she is. She's a graduate of Fine Arts in Manitoba, and then went into education and teaching, combining art with her education at the same time. Hildebrand explains she works from photographs of what she wants to paint, since she has to be able to see it.

The exhibit includes 10 pencil sketches and 46 acrylic paintings. The showing runs from January 24th to March 4th with her reception on February 2nd at 7:00 p.m.