‘The complexity of light’

“Shadow Inside 1’’ (gouache on panel), by Cambridge, Mass.-based Vicki Kocher Paret, in show “Shadow,” at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, though June 26.

She says:

"I love the drama of a good shadow: the severe contrast of light and dark, the layers of darkness that fall on various surfaces, the fanciful patterns created from flattened three-dimensional form. Painting shadows is a study in the complexity of light, and often through the process, exposes things unnoticed or unseen. The mesmerizing power and beauty of shadow serves to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary - a useful thing for the spirit."

Heroic trees

“Willow Heights Trail #2’’’ (gouache on panel), by Vicki Kocher Paret, at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, Jan 8-31

The Cambridge-based painter says:

"My hero: nature, trees, pretty much the natural world. It has the power to support and heal the environment, and provide peace and spiritual healing with its endless diversity and beauty. It inspires and I strive to capture these powers in my paintings."

Dream of domesticity

“Neighborhood #12’’ (gouache on cradled panel), by Vicki Kocher Paret, in the group show “Galatea NOW,’’ at Galatea Fine Art, Boston, Dec. 5-30