4 art gallery shows to get excited about

Jenny Mendes’ art will be displayed Oct. 4-27 at The Clay Studio. Credit: Jenny Mendes

If you’re the type that only meanders through a gallery on First Friday, you’re missing out. Not only are there openings and exhibitions going on around the clock, but they occasionally stretch beyond Old City, too. Find inspiration this season at galleries scattered around the city, hosting artist shows that will make you want to celebrate the right brain all month long.

Kelly Wallace
London artist Kelly Wallace knows how to manipulate with pen and paper. In his latest show, “Dead Reckoning,” the illustrator creates fictitious landscapes that are scarred with wreckage and debris. Wallace makes the kind of pieces that pull you in, almost magnetically. From a distance you’ll notice the texture his drawings create, and as you move closer to each one, you’ll get sucked into the detail and the precision of each and every line.
Through Oct. 27, Seraphin Gallery, 1108 Pine St., 215-923-7000, www.seraphin.squarespace.com

Jenny Mendes
In Jenny Mendes’ world, everything has duel qualities. Form and function work together in her ceramic plates, bowls and vases. And the images that she paints onto her clay objects often blur the line between man and beast, with depictions of animal-headed humans and woodland creatures that have curiously human faces. You can see an appreciation for folklore and world cultures in these designs. With that, of course, you’ll be able to take a close look at the amount of work that goes into each creation.
Oct. 4-27, The Clay Studio, 137-139 S. 2nd St., 215-925-3453, www.theclaystudio.org

Sarah McEneaney
At first glance, the paintings in McEneaney’s Trestletown exhibition are jarring. Part of your brain is noticing the depth of field and the perspective of planes, while your eye focuses on the lack shading paired with the minute detail of wood grain or chain link fences. The images simultaneously jut out at you and also recede into the distance. McEneaney’s paintings depict cityscapes from the fringe, viewed just beyond the sprawl where there are a few more trees and a bit more open space. Notice that many of the titles place the viewer in the exact location of the easel, like in the piece 10th and Hamilton 10th Floor.
Oct. 18-Nov. 23, Locks Gallery, 600 S. Washington Square, 215-629-1000, www.locksgallery.com

Jacob Lunderby
Let your eyes goof off at this exhibition. Let them be teased and confused by the works of Jacob Lunderby and his part-digital, part-painted abstractions. You’ll be able to make out stacks of dilapidated cars and mashed up perspectives. At other points you may not be sure what you’re looking at, but the feeling is clear: Something is amiss and the artist is well aware.
Nov. 1-Dec. 14, Pentimenti Gallery, 145 N. 2nd St., 215-625-9990, www.pentimenti.com