Martin Lawrence Gallery will celebrate contemporary artist Robert Deyber with an artist reception on Oct. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Deyber, whose art moves in and out of visual themes and story lines, creates imagery where he uses a combination of highly stylized composition, light and contrasting colors.

Deyber is a visual raconteur — a storyteller with a paintbrush, his mind’s eye planted deep within the subconscious. With artistic roots that hail from the Surrealist movement, among his heroes are Rene Magritte and Salvator Dali. Born and raised in Greenwich, Conn., Deyber began drawing at an early age. Art was a necessary means of escape from an otherwise difficult world, one in which he set his mind free to visit the most remote places — a wheat field in South Dakota, the dunes of the Gobi desert, the moons of Jupiter — all within easy reach for a very imaginative young boy.

Martin Lawrence Gallery is located at 1111 Prospect St. For more information, visit martinlawrence.com or call (858) 551-1122.