An opening reception for “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain,” an exhibit featuring the work of two artists, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Tamaqua Arts Center.

Both artists, Amanda D’Agostino and Terree Oakwood, recently moved to the area, and fell in love with the beauty of Schuylkill County.

D’Agostino, a painter, and Oakwood, a photographer, use the area and its backdrop in much of their work.

And that’s what the public will see at the exhibit, which runs throughout August from the 125 Pine St. center.

“All of my paintings in our show are from ‘around here,’ as is most of my work,” D’Agostino, a Pittsburgh native, explained. “I just love this region where mountains and rural landscapes dominate the human built world. In fact, many of my paintings are inspired by scenes within a couple miles of our home in West Penn.”

Oakwood, who last lived in Lehigh County, also feels the creative spark in Schuylkill County.

“Since I first discovered this mountain area on a joy ride I have been awe-struck by the beauty of the region; the winding country roads, the majestic countryside views, the hills and trees and magnificent vistas and I try to capture it with my camera every opportunity I get,” Oakwood said. “I want to share my images with others and I hope they resonate. I hope the love I feel in my heart born of this stunning natural world can bring joy to other folks, too.”

D’Agostino began calling the area home in December 2022.

She is a self-taught oil painter who began just five years ago, but has been around the art world since she was born.

“My dad was a professional fine artist and suggested I try oil painting and I fell in love with the medium once I figured it out,” she explained.

D’Agostino said she is constantly inspired by nature.

“I spend a lot more time observing nature than I do painting, but I think that helps me better understand how light falls on a flower, changes the color of a tree’s leaves, and how shadows work to emphasize certain shapes,” she said. “Nature is my best teacher.”

She said the exhibit will feature paintings that show “the beauty and distinct character of this region that has captured my heart.”

Among the work are buildings like the Tamaqua Train Station and light-filled rural and nature scenes.

“My style is expressive and representational with sprinkles of impressionism and I love to push color boundaries into less conventional combinations,” D’Agostino said.

Her website is amandadagostinoart.com.

Oakwood moved to West Penn Township last year, but spent much time in Bucks County, where she built her portrait photography business, The Moment Photography, in Quakertown.

“I still photograph people as my working part of photography but I am a nature lover as long as I have been alive and have been capturing our beautiful world for enjoyment,” Oakwood said. “I have a saying about it: ‘Seeing beauty everywhere I look in the world, I make pictures that sense the wonder of life at one particular moment on the earth’.”

Oakwood was just a child when her father introduced her to photography.

“Since I was the oldest of three I spent a lot of time learning about cameras and photography from my Dad,” Oakwood said. “I took high school and college courses in photography though I thought I’d be a writer and majored in journalism. I do write and it is my passion right along with photography.”

She hopes to one day pen a book about her experiences with loss and grief, healing and continuing to love.

“I’ll include photographs of course and hope to inspire others as they make their way through life’s challenges,” she said.

As for her friendship with D’Agostino, she said they first connected professionally then became closer when they learned they were both building homes in West Penn.

“Discussing how enamored with both are with the gorgeous area we now live in we decided to use our talents and creativity in a combined show,” Oakwood said. “At some point we also discovered that each of our fathers had a role to play in our art, we just knew it is all kismet!”

She has a website, TheMomentPhoto.com, and a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheMomentPhotography.

The gallery reception is free and open to the public.