Thursday marks the opening of two new exhibits at Kentuck Gallery, “Earth and Beyond” and “Corpus Sylva,” by local artists Joni Gruber and Amy Swartz.

“Earth and Beyond” will be featured in the Main Avenue Gallery, and “Corpus Sylva” will be featured in the Georgine Clarke Gallery. Art night is free and will take place from 5-9 p.m. on Thursday – both exhibits will remain open through March 2.

“It’s two different styles completely,” said Shweta Gamble, executive director for Kentuck. “Joni does abstract work, and Amy does mixed media work.”

Gamble said artists wishing to present their work in the Kentuck Gallery first apply online, and then a panel examines the artist’s work to see if it would be a good fit. Kentuck has a rule that artists can only show once every two years, so this is the first time Gruber and Swartz will be featured at the gallery.

Joni Gruber, creator of the exhibit “Earth and Beyond,” has lived in Tuscaloosa since 1995 and said she is thrilled to be able to show her art in the place she calls home.

“I’ve been working as an artist in Tuscaloosa since I’ve lived here, and I’ve shown my work in other galleries around town, but I’m really excited for this exhibit,” Gruber said. “A lot of people might know about the Kentuck Festival which spends a lot of time on folk art, but the gallery shows both folk art and contemporary art.”

Gruber’s work for the gallery uses a technique called “encaustic,” which is a Greek word that means to burn. The process involves pigments mixed with bees wax, heated up on a pallet before being spread onto a canvas.

“A lot of people may look and think it’s just an oil painting, but it’s very translucent with a lot of layers,” Gruber said. “Seeing it on a computer doesn’t do it justice, because there’s a lot of depth.”

Gruber said this particular medium fits her style because it’s an “immediate medium” that can be worked with molten or dry and can be reworked for years to come.

There are two spreads consisting of a series of three paintings involved in the exhibit – one can be categorized as “Earth,” which Gruber says covers fluid and flowing nature such as oceans or landscapes, and “Beyond,” which draws inspiration from science and science-fiction.

“I started using a lot of red, which has gotten into the pieces that are in the show ? things like the sun, things with a lot of nebula in the background,” Gruber said. “There are some space pieces and some down to earth nature pieces, and I use a lot of spheres and shapes in my work.”

In addition to the opening of these two galleries, Ian Bittner will be playing electric guitar, and there will be a glass-blowing workshop taught by Linda Munoz.

During the workshop, attendees will paint glass heart pendants in honor of Valentine’s Day. The workshop costs $15 plus tax per person, and no reservations are required to attend.