Ottumwa artist, Chis Abigt, is getting ready to showcase her paintings in one of the nation’s largest juried art fairs.

Her paintings have earned numerous awards throughout the years, but this year her paintings will be put on display in one of the biggest juried art shows located in Ann Arbor Michigan.

The Ann Arbor Fair is a three-day event with nearly 1,000 artists participating in the outdoor gallery.

I’m just looking forward to going to an art show where there are a lot of other artists I can connect with," said Abigt. "That is one of the beauties of traveling across the country for art shows. You just meet so many cool people and other artists doing the same thing.”

For the past 35 years, Abigt and her husband have owned a small gallery in Ottumwa.

Traditionally a realistic painter, a trip to Kentucky ten years ago led to her adding a whimsical touch to her oil paintings of several different landscapes.

“It had been kind of raining, the earth was damp, the sprinkles were hidden in the water, the sun was out, and the birds were chirping," said Abigt. "These were all of the elements of the place that I couldn’t capture with realism.”

She told KTVO, ever since then, she has wanted to continue to capture the feeling of a scene in her artwork.

I decided to take my panting in a whimsical way and realized that was so fun," said Abigt. "So I’ve been doing that ever since.

Her artwork will be on display starting July 21st though the 23rd.