"We don’t typically see an artist’s vision board, only the by-product of blood, sweat, and tears." Oh, we can see them now, though! At this excellent exhibition of boards by Erin Cunningham, Stephen Daly, Valerie Fowler, Melanie Hickerson, Mindy Johnston, Steven Bernard Jones, Kathy McCarty, Jacqueline May, Lawrence McFarland, Deanna Miesch, Jon Eric Narum, Jennifer Prichard, Benné Rockett , David Thornberry, Madelon Umlauf, and Deborah Vanko.

Lydia Street Gallery: Vision Board

Although Madelon Umlauf's paintings are inspired by nature, she often chooses color palettes that are atypical of what's seen in nature, reflecting a belief that abstract art is the key to a full comprehension of reality.

Lydia Street Gallery: Harmonizing the Rapture of Color

Erin Cunningham's works examine and portray intricacies within the female figure, delving into the subtleties of the body's external structure. Elsa Gebreyesus explores visual representation of poems and themes by poets or wordsmiths she's been inspired by.

Lydia Street Gallery: Elemental Topography & The Color Of Words

Ecuadorian-American artist Sandra C. Fernández uses pages from a 1800s book of crimes and misdemeanors as the foundation for works that explore her realities of exile, dislocation, relocation, and memory; Mindy Johnston's cartographic drawings colorfully represent her experience as a longtime Cap Metro rider.

Lydia Street Gallery: Sporadic Moments and Cartography Abstracted

The freshly paved streets of Austin still echo with Kathy McCarty’s soulful warbling of “Christine” from her days as frontwoman for Glass Eye, but now she – and her husband, the artist David Thornberry – have reached their pictorial “Apotheosis” in this two-person exhibition of paintings at Lydia Street Gallery on East 11th, McCarty’s visuals bringing evocations of life in our storied metrop, Thornberry’s capturing “shapes, shadows, and light.” Sonic bonus: The lady will perform songs from her upcoming album, also called Apotheosis, at tonight’s reception. Time hasn’t stolen this creative couple from anyone. – Wayne Alan Brenner

“Apotheosis” Artists’ Reception

They say Texas is the gun capital of America; no arguments here. And many gun collectors treat them almost like toys, taking pride in amassing safeloads of the things and procuring the latest gadgets. Internationally acclaimed Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti set out to capture images of American gun owners among their massive collections of weapons for “Ameriguns,” resulting in some stunning imagery. This series is juxtaposed with children showcasing their toy collections for “Toy Stories,” for which Galimberti also made observations about socioeconomic and other factors influencing the subjects’ relationship to their possessions, making for a thoughtful and provocative exhibition. – Kat McNevins

Gabriele Galimberti: The Ameriguns & Toy Stories

Art and … math? Not as improbable as it may seem, especially when seen through the veil of fantasy. And that’s exactly what artist/gallerist/therapist Deanna Miesch does. Compiling works inspired by 1800s mathematician Edwin A. Abbott’s imaginary world of Flatland (with touches of fellow mathematician Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, of course), Miesch presents reality with a fanciful twist. Her visuals show our world, blurred or tilted a little askew. It’s easy to see portals to another world in every line and angle. What dimensions will you discover? – Cat McCarrey