Aragna Ker, Heather Scholl and KJ Cooksey all create portraits, but each approaches the nature of identity from a different viewpoint. Their three exhibitions are now open at the Blackboard Gallery of Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo through July 26. The free artists’ reception is on Saturday, July 19 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The exhibition “Then and Now” features narrative, often ethereal, portraits by Los Angeles artist Heather Scholl, who paints to capture the essence of people “as timeless reminders of our interconnectedness.” The influence of extensive Asian travels is often reflected in her work. Scholl began her career in Seattle, where she worked as an illustrator and fine artist while teaching at Cornish College of the Arts. Her work has been shown in galleries and publications nationally and internationally since 1994, and her paintings are in private and public collections throughout the western United States.

Aragna Ker’s goal with his playful portraits in “Spirited Away” is to combine intangible similarities to blur individual identity. He fuses cultural symbols and myth to explore a range of hybrid identities, often using unrelated materials such as toothpicks, straws, and newspaper to execute the ambiguity. A native of Cambodia who immigrated to Southern California as a child, Ker holds a master’s in sculpture from Claremont Graduate University. His work has been exhibited throughout Southern California in venues including the Hammer Museum, and has been displayed in the United States Embassy in Cambodia. He currently specializes in artistic instruction to adults with disabilities at First Street Gallery Art Center in Claremont, California.

The “Eve Design” exhibition deals with a very specific element of identity: marketing and the influence celebrities have on the interpretation of women’s roles and expectations. The creation story of Adam and Eve inspired the title of artist KJ Cooksey’s exhibit of paintings which humorously draw upon current women’s magazine covers and other forms of marketing. Cooksey is the gallery manager for the Blackboard Gallery at Studio Channel Islands and will be leaving this fall to pursue her Master of Fine Art degree at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. A four year Fine Arts Merit Scholar at California State University at Bakersfield, she has exhibited throughout Southern California, and received the 2012 Star Award as Best Young Artist from the Ventura County Arts Council.

The Studio Channel Islands Art Center offices and Blackboard Gallery are at 2222 Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo. For more information, visit www.studiochannelislands.org or call 805-383-1368. As many as 40 resident artist studios at the Center’s campus across from the gallery are open to the public every First Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The offices and gallery are open Tuesday 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11:00 to 5:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 3:00.