When it comes to his latest exhibition, artist Ferdinand Rosa finds inspiration all over.

"This work has been inspired by my travels to different places," said Rosa, a Gainesville resident.

"It was also inspired by living and working in the Buford area, which is an old tannery town. The old (Buford) buildings kind of inspired some of the things that I was doing."

Rosa's exhibit at Adam's Restaurant — formerly Char88 — in downtown Buford includes 10 mixed-media pieces.

From custom-blended materials to traditional paints, all mediums are fair game for Rosa.

"The natural world has always inspired my work," Rosa said.

"The light, energy, topography and colors of each place I visit inform my paintings."

One such place is Portugal, which inspired his Portuguese Icons series.

"A lot of the textures (in this series) come from structures that I visited in Old World Europe," Rosa said.

"The old facades of buildings and the sacred part of all of it were influential."

The buildings' textures moved Rosa to create his own "paint matter," which bears a resemblance to cement.

According to Rosa, his mixed-media exhibition "encompasses various issues played out in the real world — such as war, politics and spirituality."

Not only is this his first showing since 2007, this show also will be the first time that the public has been able to view the featured pieces.

"They're mostly paintings, but I do incorporate photography and a lot of found objects," Rosa said.

"Each of my consecutive attempts at painting is like a delicate dance played out between the conscious and subconscious mind. I never know what to expect."

The Buford exhibition is free and open to all ages. The restaurant is open daily, except Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 15 Main St. in Buford.