Wyndmoor artist Maura Matthews is exhibiting some of her stunning paintings at El Poquito, a Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia, writes Len Lear for Chestnut Hill Local.

More than 70 people attended the opening of the exhibit on June 2 at the restaurant at on Germantown Avenue, with eight art lovers purchasing a Matthews original during the evening.

Matthews begins her paintings on a red background then adds color in a pattern of darks and lights. In her striking works, she revisits favorite places from her many travels, depicting scenes using a palette knife, which gives texture and weight.

Matthews earned an education degree from Penn in 2005, and first started to sell her paintings the following year. She met her husband Steve Matthews, an Oreland native, in 1995. Together, they moved to Wyndmoor in 2005.

“Wyndmoor is great,” she commented, “because it’s like a small town within walking distance of Chestnut Hill and a beautiful drive into the city. I love being able to hike on the Wissahickon one day and visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art the next.”

Read more about the artist at Chestnut Hill Local by clicking here.