FARMINGTON – Heirlooms of Tomorrow is hosting the return of Fred O. Smith II as Artist of the Month for May. An open house to introduce his work will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Heirlooms Art Gallery.

Smith, who exhibited his acrylic paintings in March 2006, has branched into watercolors. The new medium he has found satisfying, he said, not realizing until taking classes with Stanley Keirstead how flexible it was.

His showing at Heirlooms will include a number of watercolor paintings on a variety of subjects, some acrylics and a few selected photographs from his Navy experience.

Continuing to make antique-style pine furniture, which has spurred interest in acrylic painting as a decorative, Smith has wanted to record many of his life’s events in paint. Watercolor has proven to be an excellent medium to do this, he said, as he accepts the challenge of painting people, places, things and events.

Smith is president of Franklin County Arts and Crafts, and secretary of SugarWood Gallery. He is a past president of UpCountry Artists and displays his work at the October Sugarloaf Art Show.

Heirlooms is located at 710 Wilton Road. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.