‘Shapeshifting beauty’

“Harmony” (oil and wax on copper panel), by Brookline, Mass.-based Nora Charney Rosenbaum, in her show “The Language of Birds,’’ at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, May 1-June 1.

“When I see a colony of cormorants silhouetted on seashore rocks, their shapes can seem like cryptic hieroglyphs from some arcane mythology. Looking closer, they become recognizable as individual characters in a dialog of social interactions.

“In my painting I try to capture their rangy, shapeshifting beauty. Using oil paint and sometimes wax and sand on copper-covered panels helps me express their liveliness."

She says in her artist statement:

“For me the process of painting is the solving of problems - color, form, texture and composition. My technique is to layer oil paint in thin glazes or sometimes mixed with wax over chemically treated copper to produce an optically complex surface. Light passes through some layers and reflects off others to give an impression of atmosphere and luminescence.

“Painting is always a leap into the unknown. Trying to capture the depth, motion and sense of transparency in this ephemeral world is a challenge.’’

So don't stand underneath when I angrily fly over

“Everybody's Talking At Me’’ (oil on copper), by Brookline-based Nora Charney Rosenbaum, at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, Jan. 8-31.

Official seal of Brookline. The Muddy River is a series of brooks and ponds that runs through sections of Boston's Emerald Necklace, including along the southern boundary of Brookline, a town that went by the name of Muddy River Hamlet before it was incorporated, in 1705.

Go with the flow

"Order and Chaos'' (diptych, oil on copper), by Nora Charney Rosenbaum, in the show "Ghost Fish,'' at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, May 30-July 1. She says: "The underlying theme of this group of work is the movement of water as a metaphor for my recent life experiences. Seeking predictability amidst chaos, equilibrium in turbulence, I've been carried along by currents either willingly or with resistance.''