"This is What Makes Us Girls," an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Charleston artist Karen Ann Myers, will open Thursday, Aug. 29, and run through Friday, Sept. 27, in the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery at Coastal Carolina University. The exhibit and an opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. are free and open to the public.

Myers' ornate paintings explore society's obsession with beauty through elaborate renderings of patterns, textures and figures. "I am investigating the psychological complexity of women through intimate observations in the bedroom," says Myers. "The work is inspired by the cult of beauty in contemporary mass media."

Currently the associate director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, Myers is an artist, educator and curator. She earned an Master of Fine Arts in painting from Boston University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art from Michigan State University. Her paintings and works on paper exist nationally and internationally in private collections. Myers' work has been featured in numerous publications including Oxford American's "100 Under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art" and New American Paintings.

The Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery is located on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, 133 Chanticleer Drive E., Conway.

The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact James Arendt, gallery director, at 843-349-6409.