Paintings by Deer Park High School art teacher Derek Mainhart were selected for display in the fourth annual LIC Arts Open exhibit. Mainhart, a Queens native, “uses the vehicle of traditional portraiture in an attempt to highlight people who have been overlooked.” Five of his expressionistic works were chosen for the recent five-day arts festival, which featured more than 250 artists and 85 exhibitions and events in more than 54 different venues in Long Island City.

“It was an honor to be invited to take part in a festival highlighting the work of local artists,” said Mainhart. “The opening reception was packed, and I encountered the work of a lot of new, unfamiliar faces. It’s also nice to remind myself that even though teaching will always be my priority, I am in fact still an artist.”