A sizeable crowd turned out in The Gallery at Penn College on Thursday evening for a closing reception for “Private Domain,” an exhibit of richly hued, large-scale photorealistic paintings by Virginia Derryberry, a recently retired professor of painting and drawing at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The artist mingled with guests during the reception and delivered a gallery talk focused on her process and the concept of alchemy in her works. The exhibit was on display March 14 through April 20. During her two-day stay on campus, Derryberry shared her expertise with students enrolled in Modern Art and the Contemporary Image (ART 330), taught by Nicholas L. Stephenson, instructor of graphic design. She also toured the art studios in the Bush Campus Center and dined in Le Jeune Chef Restaurant.