Wednesday night may have marked a first for The Gallery at Mish Mish — the meet-the-artist reception wasn’t being held for a professional artist or photographer, but a retired hospital biomedical engineer. Friends and family and a few bystanders from downtown Blacksburg’s Wonderful First Wednesdays visited The Gallery to see the new show by David Pearce of Blacksburg called “Traveling Images.”

Artist biography: Pearce is a 1966 graduate of Virginia Tech, with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia. He has been taking photos for more than 50 years and has a studio in his Blacksburg home, where he moved with his wife, Linda, after retiring in 2002. “I just enjoy lots of different challenges,” Pearce said.

The opinion: “I’m always amazed that an engineer has such an artistic eye,” said Larry Taylor, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and friend of Pearce’s who stopped in for the show. “He really enjoys it. I think being interested in something is one thing, but doing it is another.”

The art: The photos in the show, all digital and taken all over the world, range from close-ups of flowers to a portrait of a young girl taken in his studio to a photo of a nighttime Hong Kong skyline. All the photos have been taken in the past three years. Two of the prints are a new venture for Pearce, printed on canvas instead of the traditional printed photos on paper. Pearce is also a woodturner, making pens and thin-walled bowls.

Hours: Through Sept. 4, The Gallery at Mish Mish, Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Creative Minds is a feature written by Roanoke Times staff writer Amy Matzke about local art exhibit openings. To have your opening featured, contact Matzke at amy.matzke@roanoke.com or 381-1674.