Fine art visual artist and photographer Fred Bonilla is being represented in a solo exhibition, “Where Beauty Lingers,” being presented this month at Newtown Municipal Center Gallery, 3 Primrose Street.

The exhibition showcases a dramatic and intimate collection of floral and botanical portraiture. Moving beyond traditional nature photography, Bonilla’s work treats individual blossoms with the reverence and focus of classic portraiture — utilizing high-contrast lighting, delicate tonal balancing, and painterly compositions to highlight the fragile, enduring elegance of nature.

Gallery hours are 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The art can also be viewed weeknights when the municipal center is open for Town board and commission meetings.

Bonilla has been photographing since age 9, when he would borrow his father's Yashica 35 mm camera and explore the streets of his beloved New York City. Photographs by Bonilla have been published in a number of publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Litchfield County Times and The Connecticut Post.

Bonilla retired from his 40 year stint in photo retail in 2017 and served three years as a teaching assistant at International Center of Photography in New York City. He volunteers at Person To Person in Darien as a food pantry worker and clothing distribution assistant.

Bonilla has been married to his wife Cris for 35 years, is a father of two and grandfather of five, and lives in Norwalk.