Detail of a painting by guest artist Margaret Kangley. The painting is in response to the death of a young man, Evan Ashcraft, who, in his last phone call home from Iraq, expressed a desire to help soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. He did not return alive. Kangley has reproduced the painting in postcard form, with all of the sale proceeds directed to the Evan Ashcraft Foundation (Evanashcraft.org) to fulfill Evan's last wish.

The public is invited to meet and mingle with six Gallery One member artists and guest artist Margaret Kangley of Essex at a free reception on Friday, Jan. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Gallery One at the Clayhouse, 665 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook. Participating member artists include Elizabeth Boyd of Madison, David Brubaker of Old Saybrook, Chien Fe Chiang of Old Saybrook, Leslie Concannon of New York, William G. Nelson of Ivoryton, and Judith Barbour Osborne of Ivoryton. The exhibition featuring these artists, which encompasses a broad range of media and styles, runs through March 6.

Kangley superimposes war references on still lifes, and uses words and reflections to draw the viewer in both verbally and experientially. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in art from Southern Connecticut State University and Wesleyan University, respectively. While continuing to paint, Kangley taught at Valley Regional High School and Wesleyan University. She has served as a consultant to the State Department of Education and was named Connecticut's Distinguished Art Educator of the Year in 1997 by the Connecticut Alliance for the Arts.

Gallery One at the Clayhouse is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 860-388-0907.