"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, concoctingfrom the sum of each painting togethera 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