Gallery Sketches: Three shows for the weekend of April 11-13

See also: Video: Meet Westword MasterMind Eric Dallimore

Wes Magyar's oil portraits are anything but old-fashioned -- painted in subtle planes and swatches of color, they capture light from both within and without his subjects. Magyar hasn't had a solo for more than five years, so he has a lot of catching up to do, which he does beautifully in this exhibition of new and old works. Bonus: Magyar's show complements the center's annual Jeffco Schools Foundation High School Art Exhibition (he was a Jeffco student) and another solo by his former high school teacher, sculptor Erick C. Johnson.

Causality: An Exploration of Thought: New Works by Jon Strieby Super Ordinary Gallery, The Source Opening reception: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 12

Jon Strieby's powerful draftsmanship isn't always relegated to two dimensions: His subjects might grace a skateboard deck, and be carved in wood or cut from steel. Super Ordinary continues its mission to present work from the underground with this solo, and the experience is made the more fun by the gallery's location in the Source, where food and drink are always nearby.

anyone lived in a pretty how town: New Works by Karen Fisher GroundSwell Gallery 
April 12 through May 6 Opening reception: 7-10 p.m. Saturday, April 12

This is GroundSwell's last show, as gallerists Danette Montoya and Rebecca Peebles prepare to move on to other projects. It's a beautiful swan song: Karen Fisher's show, which borrows its title from a poem by e.e. cummings, deals mainly with her father, who has Alzheimer's disease, by poignantly documenting the breakdown of human contact with disjointed and delicate pieces of memories. DJ Sarah Grace will provide spins at the reception, and 10 percent of all sales will benefit the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado.

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