Susan LeVan is the featured artist this August at the Roby King Gallery in downtown Winslow.

LeVan’s art is about her lifelong obsession with wild animals and how they teach us to be in the world. This body of work — developed two years ago after a trip to Alaska to observe bears in their natural habitat — will be on display in the downtown gallery throughout the month.

“Encounters with wild animals have been the focus of my work for a long time,” LeVan said.

“Human beings and animals in the wild seem to exist in parallel universes, but now and again we glimpse one another, our otherwise separate existences overlap. For me there is always a frisson of excitement when this occurs,” she explained. “The form and content of my work speak to the nature of specific encounters, and to the ephemeral energy they generate — wonder, humor, humility, delight, pathos, mystery, recognition.”

A special artist reception event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 during First Friday in Winslow.

Roby King Galleries is located at 176 Winslow Way East.

For more information, visit www.robykinggalleries.com.