Jonah and the Play-Doh

"My paintings are fun, and they're supposed to be fun," says artist Patrick Williams (not to be confused with our very own mad genius managing editor of the same name; 'round here we call him P-Dub) says in his artist's statement. And with their images of goofy little beings in strange colors, crazily branched trees and Play-Doh-esque landscapes, the works in his May the Sea Swallow Us Whole exhibit are definitely fun. But there's more going on here than the manifestations of a childlike imagination. Williams puts his rather simple visuals to work, concocting—from the sum of each painting together—a narrative of tiny myths strung together to form a big one. He uses contextless characters (just what the hell is that pink blob with eyes?) and familiar-yet-foreign landscapes (why is that tree so barren?) in order to try to explain the world with a primitive but thoughtful manner. The exhibit opens 7 p.m. Friday at Pawn Gallery, 2540 Elm St. Call 214-453-3885.
Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: May 4. Continues through May 26