'Life Aquatic'
Opens Saturday: With subzero temperatures and drifting snow on the horizon, it's time for a winter break. Even if a Caribbean holiday is not on your schedule, make a moment for Samantha French's new show of her lovely "Life Aquatic" paintings. Since graduating from Minneapolis College of Art and Design several years ago, French has been wowing collectors and fans in Brooklyn, where she now lives. But these deliciously lyrical hymns to summer suggest that her heart is still in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, especially Nisswa, where she grew up. Inspired by photos of swimmers in sparkling-blue pools on sunny days, her paintings are really about light, water, reflections and the abstract loops, layers and strokes of paint that evoke the beauty of water play. Don't miss this one, or the accompanying "Water's Edge" show of paintings by seven more artists. (Reception 2-5 p.m. Sat. Free. Groveland Annex and Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace, Mpls. Noon-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. through March 1. 612-377-7800 or www.grovelandgallery.com)
