Every object you see, whether it’s in nature or man-made, has a back story. And the possibilities of that story are all the creative fuel that Brenda Reilly needs. “That’s what works for me. That’s what inspires me. I have to have something like that to jump start me,” Reilly says. The St. Joe mixed-media artist specializes in collages. Many of them are photo collages like the ones she did while earning her degree in art at Missouri Western. Some of her newer work is centered on working with acrylic paint. She incorporates anything from aged documents and antique photographs (including some mug shots) to old objects like the ones she’s found recently trying to renovate her house. Reilly hopes viewers get the sense of wonderment that she sees in the subjects of her pieces. “I like to make people think for themselves and maybe give them enough to maybe lead them in a direction and let them make up their own story,” she says. Brenda Reilly has work on display at Gallery 7.