Modesto Junior College Art Gallery presents Don Hall: Masterpiece Theater, an exhibition of paintings by this local area artist. The display is open to the public now through Thursday, Oct. 27. The MJC Art Gallery is located on East Campus, 435 College Ave., Modesto and is open Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free.

A public reception with the artist will be held on Thursday, Oct. 13, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Gallery. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibit features a series of self-portraits in both pastel and acrylic paint on canvas created by Hall over the past three years. In these works he combines self-portraiture with references to art history by inserting his image into famous works by renowned artists.

“The use of self-portraits has been a subject for artists throughout history, from the hand prints in the ancient caves of Europe drawn by early cave people, to the self-examinations that Rembrandt created throughout his life,” Hall said. “The obvious advantage of painting my own image is that no models are required and my image is always available when I need it.”

Hall has worked professionally in both two dimensional and three dimensional art most of his adult life, creating clay objects as well as drawing and painting. His work has been shown in numerous galleries and exhibitions and has been published in several books and periodicals.

Hall holds an Associate degree in Art from College of San Mateo, studied art at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, and achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Art and a Masters of Art degree from California State University Stanislaus in Turlock. He has served as an adjunct art instructor at Modesto Junior College, Merced College and San Joaquin Delta College.