With more than 100 votes cast in the People's Choice Award competition, Taylor White's "Summer Velvet" claimed the prize at the opening reception of the Booth Artists Guild's debut biennial exhibition.

"I was very happy in that it's the best award that you can receive," White said. "I love to paint, and I love to see people enjoy my work. I have been very fortunate in that I like to paint what people enjoy. That's what it's all about."

Specializing in wildlife and nature scenes, the Alabama artist has been perfecting her craft for the past 30 years. With "Summer Velvet," White drew inspiration from several of her photographs to capture the desired image of a male moose drinking water from a pond.

"I make a lot of photographs and use those photographs as references," she said. "There is not anything you see in my work that was an actual situation. I just take those elements and use them to draw on [during] my painting."

Through Sept. 11, the BAG's exhibition is on display in the Borderlands Gallery at the Booth Western Art Museum, 501 Museum Drive in Cartersville. With about 48 BAG members' artwork represented, the exhibit features a wide variety of skill levels and mediums, ranging from paintings to pottery to wood carvings.

"We have artists who have just started recently in the last few years," BAG Organizer Marcia Dillard said. "We have people who have been painting 30 [or] 40 years represented. And I think that is one of the beauties of having the Booth Artists Guild is those of us who have only been painting for a few years get to meet and talk with artists who have been doing this most of their lives. They can share their information with us, and lead us, and guide us along. It also serves as an inspiration to continue working at our craft and getting better."

Formed in 2010, the guild consists of about 65 members, who primarily reside in Bartow County. Along with being a member of the Booth, a $24 annual fee is required to join the guild, which meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Booth Art Academy, 1 N. Gilmer St. in Cartersville.

"The purpose is just to give artists or art enthusiasts an opportunity to network with other people with like interests and also hear programs on different types of mediums, different styles, different techniques," Dillard said. "So it's an ongoing art education opportunity."

For more information about the guild, visit www.boothmuseum.org or contact Dillard at 770-387-3849.