WILTON — The paintings and photography of Mt. Blue High School senior Kayleigh Morin of Wilton are now on display in a solo exhibit at the Wilton Free Public Library throughout the month of December, librarian Lynn Hunter said.

Morin, who will be 18 on Dec. 12, has expressed life through art since an aunt, also an artist, taught her about painting in watercolors at age 3, she said. She admits to being hooked from there and continued looking for new mediums and ways to express herself artistically. A gift of a camera for a birthday led her to discover photography.

She showed her work this past summer at the Bangor Art Walk and hopes to expand those efforts this coming year, she said.

The library offers space near the young adult collection for student artists and periodically space for other displays, especially featuring local artwork, Hunter said.

Morin has about 15 pieces on display, a combination of art and photography, she said.

“We’re very excited to display Kayleigh’s work and look forward to displaying other Mt. Blue art students in the future,” she said, crediting Mt. Blue art teacher Roger Bisaillon with helping to develop the student art shows.

Morin also credits him for his mentoring. He has been “my biggest style influence and taught me a lot about the principals of art, especially when it comes to color and his work has inspired me greatly,” she said.

Morin’s piece shown in the photo is an acrylic, mixed-media using drawings, writing samples, pastel and 3-D buildups, which she titled, “The Meaning.”

“Because it’s about fulfillment, dreams and life purpose,” she said. “It took about five months to complete, and it helped me realize a lot about my own life. The footprint at the top is the most important part of the piece — it’s symbolic of the fact that everyone has their own journey and identity, that there’s no ‘perfect’ way to live your life.”

She loves both painting and photography about the same but for different reasons.

She likes the process needed for mixed-media painting.

“It’s really introspective and is often a sort of diary for me. My paintings are really bright colored and whimsical. They’re direct representations of my emotions and thoughts, and I like that they show so much of who I am,” she said.

“Photography, on the other hand, is very interactive. It’s more about the subject or the concept than about me. It lets me connect with others, make others feel beautiful and really capture a piece of life,” she said.

She enjoys the simplicity and striking nature of black-and-white photography that allows the subject to really shine through. She also enjoys fashion photography because it really combines photography and art, she said.

Morin plans to study photography or art with a photo concentration and pursue a business degree in college.

“I feel that a business education combined with my photography degree will help me when it comes to networking and selling my work. My goal is to open a studio … do some freelance fashion work for magazines … and continue my work with mixed media painting,” she said.

[email protected]