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New exhibits highlight Third Friday in downtown Medford Wildlife photography by Dan Elster displayed at Art du Jour Gallery. Thursday Oct 20, 2016 at 11:13 AM Oct 20, 2016 at 11:13 AM Visitors to this month's Third Friday artwalk will be able to see Southern Oregon's wildlife through the lens of fine art photographer Dan Elster in the Salon gallery at Art du Jour Gallery on East Main Street in downtown Medford. Elster is mostly self-taught, and his subjects are wild — no captive or staged shots. This point is important to him. "My photography is my art form, my form of expression," he says in a press release. "When I’m taking pictures of wild animals, I’m really trying to tell an animal’s story. It’s the drama in nature that inspires me. In the wild, every day is a struggle just to survive. I want people to be aware of what’s around them.” Elster's images show owls that reside in Lithia Park and river otters that frolic in a pond near his home in Ashland, a bull elk watching the waves break on the Oregon Coast, and an osprey catching a surfperch. His work relies on hours of patiently waiting and an artist's eye for dramatic light. Art du Jour also welcomes the dramatic photographic images of Roy Musitelli, to be displayed on the gallery's feature wall through October and November. Musitelli's talent for design and fascination with beauty inherent in ordinary things is evident in his work. He gathers photographic images that appeal to his imagination, then uses computer technology to design, enhance and intensify them to reveal his own vision of the world. "Inviting Joy," an exhibit of abstract monotypes, collage and drawings by sisters Nancy Jo Mullen and Susan Zimmerman will be displayed through Nov. 11 in the main gallery at Rogue Gallery and Art Center, 40 S. Bartlett St. Mullen and Zimmerman share creative expression, and their show at Rogue Gallery serves as a touchstone for their art — a visual dialog affirming their experience as artists. The exhibit includes work by each of the artists, as well as work they have collaborated on and created together. Their connection as sisters is evident in the similarities of their work as each artist expresses strong abstract form, texture and style. Subdued colors and sublime structure give the work its elegant nature. An exhibit of oil paintings by Charity Hubbard titled "Capturing Life" will be displayed through Nov. 18 in the community gallery at Rogue Gallery and Art Center, 40 S. Bartlett St. Hubbard’s art captures images of people, landscapes and architecture, blending traditional painting techniques with spontaneity. With warm, rich colors and loose brushstrokes, Hubbard's luminescent paintings are similar to those of the Romantic era. A reception for Mullen, Zimmerman and Hubbard will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at Rogue Gallery. Wine, cheese from Rogue Creamery and snacks from Harry and David snacks will be served.