“I had to stop painting pretty pictures for a bit,” said Brent Hanson. “While bright, colorful paintings help me stay up and hopeful, I have more to share and I’m going to share it.”

The Oxnard artist, who said he has some compulsive obsessive behaviors that he’s dealing with (“mostly food and weight”), does so in part by turning his foibles into art. The result is “Persistent, Perplexing Preoccupations,” an exhibition of about a dozen recent works in acrylic on canvas and mixed media at the Buenaventura Gallery in downtown Ventura.

Hanson’s show will open Aug. 13 and run through Sept. 7. He will be on hand to discuss his art during an opening reception 4-7 p.m. Aug. 17.

“One the one hand, I paint bright, bold, colorful imaginary landscapes, florals and figurative works that lift me emotionally, that offer hope, and to surround myself with beauty,” Hanson said. “On the other hand, I paint abstract and surreal work when I want to express emotions and tell stories about my life experiences. This show uses abstract and surreal works to express my experiences and emotions around compulsive obsessive behaviors in my life.”

“This is not about judgment. In fact, I have few regrets so far,” he added. “There are still times I find myself drawn into those attitudes and the behaviors that accompany them, but today the price is too high. I know I’m not alone.”

For Hanson, who said he began painting in 2009, the self-examination and creative focus he put into this show is about “being willing to be bold, to push myself; not to think outside the box but learning to get rid of the box altogether, if you will.”

The paintings in “Preoccupations” range in size from 16 inches square to 6 feet square, he said. To see examples of Hanson’s work in a range of subjects, visit www.brenthansonstudio.com and www.etsy.com/shop/brenthansonstudio.

The Buenaventura Gallery, at 700 E. Santa Clara St., is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, visit the nonprofit Buenaventura Art Association’s website, www.buenaventuragallery.org, or call the gallery at 648-1235.