It's a cliché: A picture is worth a thousand words. As a writer, I don't believe thatuntil I see a powerful picture or work of art. Then I realize that visual art is storytelling in its purest form. Check out two artists who pursue their work in very different ways in A Thousand Words Are Worth a Picture, A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Abstract vs. Narrative by Rita Barnard and Greg Stinson. Barnard tells stories in her mixed-media works, as illustrated by Tribute to the Fallen, her current show, which honors the men and women who have died in military service. Stimson takes a more organic approach, using color, texture and geometric forms. Also worth checking out is Pushing the Envelope, recent pen-and-ink drawings by Patrick Dunne, a Chicago artist who works with the main marking tool essential to storytellers: a ballpoint pen. If only you had saved your doodles from all those endless meetings! The shows commence with a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and run through January 27 at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive. Call 214-670-8749.
Jan. 17-27