The Quint Gallery (664 9th Ave.) is...

The Quint Gallery (664 9th Ave.) is exhibiting new works by nationally known San Diego-based artist Patricia Patterson.

Calling upon her Irish heritage, she has made three groups of paintings with interrelated themes. The images, whatever their scale--and they range from very large diptychs on canvas to very small works on paper--are bold in form and color, the works of a master painter.

The strongest are the large portraits--�Nan on Coilin’s Lap,� “Coilin and Patricia� and “Pat With Cigarette With Yellow Jug.� In a palette of chalky blue, green, gray and beige, Patterson expressively conveys a sense of her subjects’ personalities and caring relationships. They are visually beautiful and emotionally satisfying works of art.

Several large works with texts are, in contrast, disappointing because of an incongruence between the strength of the images and the folksy poignancy of the texts concerning the drowning of two brothers at sea and the suspected poisoning of a dog.

A large group of small paintings, including skull masks, devils and chickens, evince Patterson’s dazzling versatility.

The exhibition continues through Dec. 20.

International Gallery (643 G St.) is presenting “The Art of Fantasy,� an exhibition of many original illustrations for children’s books by artists from throughout the world. Middle and Eastern Europe as well as the United States are heavily represented.

It is an engaging exhibition appropriate for this holiday and gift-giving season.

All the works--in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil, graphite and color pencil and etchings--are skillful expressions of the imaginative poetry of childhood.

In character they range from realistic to surrealistic to totally fanciful.

The ink and watercolor drawings by Jane Kendall for ballet cut-out books of “Petrouchka� and “Nutcracker� are exceptional. The “Petrouchka� drawings, which relate closely to the original costumes and sets by Alexandre Benois but are more refined and opulent, could themselves serve for a production of the ballet, as could those for “Nutcracker.�

The reproductions in the reasonably priced books are true to the originals, and I can imagine that adults, especially balletomanes, would enjoy them as much as, if not more than, children would.

The drawings by Anita Lobel for an alphabet book entitled “On Market Street� are equally conservative in technique (again, ink and watercolor), but her exquisite, stylized figures composed of unusual components, rather in the manner of 16th-Century Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, have a hallucinatory edge.

Timothy C. Raglin’s color pencil drawings for “The Elephant Child� are such convincing anthropomorphisms of jungle animals that words are not necessary to supplement what the images express.

Finally, Jan Lenica’s watercolors for “The Magic Bird� by Max Bolliger epitomize the strong graphic tradition that we associate with Polish art.

It is a very full show, so allow yourself time to enjoy it.

The gallery is also showing many artist-made tree ornaments.

The exhibition continues through Jan. 4.

Snyder’s, the sculptural florist shop (825 4th Ave.), is exhibiting mixed-media works by New York artist Richard Hartenstein. Typically, he makes vertical constructions of found items--five-and-dime toys, odds and ends from hardware stores and a variety of other objects in bright colors and metallics--then groups them in containers. The results are wildly imaginative permanent, non-floral bouquets.

This is the first of a series of exhibitions that John Snyder, who studied art at UC San Diego, plans to offer in his Mezzanine Gallery.

The exhibition continues through Jan. 3.

Sweet Visions Gallery (141 University Ave.) is showing recent lyrically decorative works by Lusana Erekson, including symbolic pastel watercolors with embossments and pastel landscape serigraphs.

The exhibition continues through Jan. 3.