Fall is unofficially here, and with it comes a busy First Friday with an eclectic slate of new shows, including everything from an exhibit of fresh work from a 91-year-old legend to a contemporary three-artist tribute to the beauty of the prairie West. Keep reading for more details about these and other September openings.

See also: Lights Out: Oh, The Places You Will Go! at Black Book Gallery

New Light Sculptures by Dorothy Tanner Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery September 5 through 30 Opening reception: 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, September 5

Remarkable nonagenarian Dorothy Tanner is still creating new illuminated works using acrylic, LED lights -- and sometimes water. Says the 91-year-old Tanner: "The major challenge for me in art is to keep under control the tyranny of a logical mind. The spirit that moves me is capricious, unruly and irreverent. Most of my work grows out of intuitive impulse -- the rest gets under way by just playing." This is a perfect chance to get into Tanner's work and visit her trippy Lumonics Studio.

Rivers Alive, works by Wopo Holup Pattern Shop Studio September 5 through October 31 Opening reception: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, September 5

Wopo Holup's ethereal, large-scale river maps, rendered delicately in paint, pencil and shimmering gold and silver leaf, depict the flow and tributaries of such major waterways as the Nile and the Mississippi, and in this show, the paths of last fall's flooding along Colorado's Front Range. In addition to this and a few more receptions, Pattern Shop will host two artist talks with Holup at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, and Saturday, October 11; find details online.

Continue reading for more Gallery Sketches.

Un Amore per Cinema: New Works by Vincent Comparetto Indyink September 5 through 30 Opening reception: 6 p.m. Friday, September 5

World traveler, multimedia artist and local street urchin Vincent Comparetto debuts a new collection of cubist stencils and screen-printed posters, many of them reflecting his love of film (and also, in his own words, "of course, cats, cities, women, etc."). Comparetto also collaborated with Indyink on a T-shirt design that will be available at the opening.

Great Plains: Three Point Perspective, Patricia Barry-Levy, Chandler Romeo and Reed Weimer Helikon Gallery & Studios September 5 through October 24 Opening reception: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, September 5

Three Colorado artists who know the lay of the land team up to offer contemporary visions of the prairie landscape in a variety of mediums, including digital photo collage, pastels and painting. Bonus: An opportunity to walk through Helikon's handsome RiNo multi-studio/gallery space.

14 Artists/New Works Wazee Union September 6 through 20 Saturday Receptions: 6 to 9 p.m. September 6 and 13 Friday Reception: 6 to 9 p.m. September 19

Another RiNo-based cultural beehive, Wazee Union, opens an invitational show this weekend featuring fourteen diverse artists working in a cornucopia of mediums, including paintings, sculpture, photographs and collage. Hang with the artists and all the creatives at Wazee Union at any of three receptions, beginning with one on Saturday, September 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Want more? See the Westword art event listings to learn more about current gallery and art museum exhibitions and openings in the metro area.

To keep up with the Froyd's eye view of arts and culture in Denver, "like" my fan page on Facebook.

• Arts and Culture
• Visual Arts