Hillsdale residents are invited to look at art and drink wine.

Local artist John Castellese will display 20 pieces of representational landscape artwork from 12 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 7 at Studio 42, located in the same building as Rough Draft.

The event, hosted by ArtWorks of Hillsdale County, will include a free wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres, according to fellow board member Connie Sexton. 

The collection, “Nature’s Way,” contains representational paintings of Michigan landscapes and seascapes from the East and West Coasts. Some of the more famous seascapes include Laguna Beach and Martha’s Vineyard, according to Castellese. The paintings will be for sale.    

Representational paintings are realistic paintings that attempt to capture the essence of nature, according to ArtWorks’ Facebook page.

“This is a way to give back to him and to honor him for all the work he’s done,” Sexton said.

In addition to the art exhibit, a train from the Fort Wayne Historical Society will be visiting Hillsdale the same day.

“The Indiana Fall Color steam engine passenger trains will be stopping in Hillsdale late morning and remaining for the afternoon just steps away from Studio 42,”  the Heritage Association of Hillsdale’s Facebook page states.

“When the train comes to Hillsdale, we try to do certain things to entertain our guests,” Sexton said. 

Castellese said he gets inspiration for his artwork from his travels throughout the year. 

“Whenever I get an idea that comes into my head, I start working on something,” Castellese said. “I go back to my reference material because I take photos wherever I go.”

Castellese said he preferred using acrylics, which made it easier to capture details without brushstrokes. 

 “I’ve been doing art since I was 5 years old,” Castellese said. “I started painting seriously around 40 years ago. I started with oils, and then gradually switched to acrylics — I just found it a better style for my particular work, as I focus mainly on realism.”

Castellese said he hopes his artwork reminds people of places they’ve seen in nature, and he encouraged young artists to keep practicing. 

“Just stick with it, don’t give up on it,” Castellese said. “It can be done, if you’ve got a little bit of talent.”