EXHIBIT: "Rural Labors," paintings by Micki Colbeck. Vermont Supreme Court Building, Montpelier. Through March 25.

ARTWORK:"The Farrier" by Micki Colbeck... Read more

EXHIBIT: "Natural Sights," black-and-white landscape photography by Jeff Clarke. Flynndog, Burlington. Through March 24.
ARTWORK:"Elk Lake, NY" by Jeff Clarke

Despite the title of Jeff Clarke's one-person exhibition, "Natural Sights," at the Flynndog, the Burlington photographer hasn't snapped typical "nature pics." His work embodies the spirit of a famous Henry David Thoreau quote, "It's not what you look at that matters; it's what you see." Clarke is an artist of the first magnitude who sees and shares eloquent passages of visual poetry among his natural sights.... Read more

EXHIBIT: "Trickle Down '05," a group show curated by artists. Firehouse Gallery, Burlington. Through February 6.
ARTWORK:"Work in Progress" by Jonathan Laib... Read more

Burlington's Sanctuary Artsite is crammed with what feels like hundreds of people on a recent Thursday night. Clots of fashionably dressed guests attempt to make small talk over the hip-hop and electronica pumping from speakers and the thunderous clatter of skateboarders using the in-house ramp.... Read more

I love postcards. A friend claims I spend more time looking at the postcards in a museum gift shop than I do looking at the art. I get my oil changed at a place next to a flea market just so I can go paw through shoeboxes of musty old postcards. I send about two a day, a habit I've had for 15 years. For me, nothing connects better. When I send a postcard to a friend, the image side must be something apropos to our friendship. The stamp must be a commentary, too. The address must be thematic, or at least artistic. The message, being public, is an opportunity for a double entendre.... Read more

According to ancient European legend, a flock of waxwings is a harbinger of disaster. The lovely little songbirds were thought to foreshadow war, pestilence and every manner of social chaos. Here in Vermont they're generally considered a sure sign of spring, although they will stay year 'round as long as the living is easy.... Read more

It's not often that an art show succeeds well on many levels at once; rarer still that an internationally renowned artist fits so comfortably, quirkily and confidently in a Vermont venue. "Alice Neel: Women Drawn," currently at the Firehouse Gallery in Burlington, does all that.... Read more

If there's a form of literature more difficult to pull off successfully than the short story, this reviewer doesn't know about it. Poetry, maybe -- although the poem, liberated from formal structure, allows more room for illusion and tricks. It can fly where it wants -- take it or leave it -- and even when empty it can sound mighty fine.... Read more

The landscape of Addison County has long been admired by locals and visitors alike. Now four artists have created a Middle-bury gallery exclusively dedicated to it. Painters Douglas Lazarus, Jake Geer and Robert Popick and photographer Trent Campbell opened the Art Studio Gallery last weekend. It is located in a house built in 1787 by another painter -- that is, Gamaliel Painter, a captain in the Revolutionary War.... Read more

In an age of multiculturalism and globalization, it's not all that surprising that a show about Mongolia should make its way to Middlebury. But this is still an unusual exhibition.... Read more