A show starting at Suffolk Art Gallery this Saturday will feature the work of award-winning local artist Edward Vann.

“C. Edward Vann: Paintings in Oil” will show at the gallery on Bosley Avenue through Aug. 17, according to a press release from the Suffolk Art League. An opening reception will be held July 21 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Vann was awarded the one-man show when he was named winner of the league’s 2011 Annual Juried Exhibition.

“For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an artist,” Vann states in the release. “As a child, I loved crayons, pens, paints and markers, and was always drawing pictures from the newspaper comic strips.”

After studying under Suffolk’s Becki Williams and other prominent Hampton Roads artists and teachers, including Gloria Coker, Norman Goodwin, Charles Kello and Yvonne Boone, exploring a range of different mediums, Vann finally settled on oils as his medium of choice.

“I love the way oil paint glides across the canvas, and I work in rich vibrant colors, all mixed from a limited color palette,” Vann stated.

“Extreme lights and shadows fascinate me, which is often evident in my still-life work.”

When he started preparing for the show, Vann stated that his “first instinct was to attempt a unified grouping of similar subjects, colors and styles.

“However, that plan didn’t work with my interests, and I decided to do what makes me enjoy painting — painting anything and everything that catches my attention, and doing so in any style that seems fit for the current subject matter.”

Vann, a trained speech pathologist, is the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters’ director of rehabilitation services, overseeing the physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy programs.

After placing second in an art competition during high school, Vann left painting behind for almost 30 years while he focused on other areas of his life, according to the press release.

Family and friends encouraged him to rediscover his talent.

He said he is “honored that my work will be on display in my hometown. My hope is that all those who visit the show will find something that they find beautiful and interesting. I am humbled by those who find an appreciation for my work.”

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information, call the art league office at 925-0448 or the gallery at 514-7284.